Examining Nigerian Banking Governance, Leadership Style, and Performance During the Financial Crisis

The 2008–2009 global financial crisis of financial systems negatively affected about 30% of Nigerian banks, leading to profitability issues. The profitability issues led to operational challenges, downsizing, and liquidation of some banks. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between corporate governance structure, perception of leadership style, and bank performance. This study was grounded in agency theory and used survey and archival data. Survey data were collected from 11 participants employed by commercial banks located in Nigeria, using the Multifaceted Leadership Questionnaire. Corporate governance and bank performance data were collected from annual bank reports. The model as a whole was not able to significantly predict bank performance, F(2,11,) = .361, p = .708, R2 = .083. There was no relationship between corporate governance structure, employees’ perception of leadership style of bank leaders, and performance of banks. The social impact for this study is that a lack of corporate governance structures can lead to bank failures. The findings from this study may be valuable to bank executives and employees. However, the findings do not suggest that corporate governance should not be practiced in organizations. When corporate governance is practiced in organizations it strengthens the structure of the banks. The results of this study are designed to be of interest to bank leaders who need to understand the relationship between corporate governance structure, employees’ perception of leadership styles, and bank performance