Manufacturing Vulnerability: How Resource Scarcity Hinders Team Coordination During Manufacturing in Nigerian Factories

The purpose of this research is to learn how less-skilled workers (LSWs) and highly-skilled workers (HSWs) coordinate in Nigerian factories, where the formal education gap between these two groups can be quite significant. The study takes place in two factories and two universities across four Nigerian states over the summer of 2018. Drawing on methods of ethnography (i.e. a collection of qualitative methods to closely observe social interactions and practices as to interpret and build theory), it was discovered that resource scarcity hinders team coordination through the occurrence of four obstacles: (1) unclear role boundaries and work processes, (2) poor attitude towards work, (3) under- and overutilization of employees, and (4) worker demoralization and feelings of being undervalued. This paper builds upon previous work on factory coordination in cross-occupational functional groups in Silicon Valley. Theoretically, this paper reveals how the studied manufacturing firms in Nigeria currently perform team coordination and the challenges that prevent them from reaching high efficiency. Additionally, it offers premises for future field experiments to test the generalizability of the findings and interventions to enhance coordination effectiveness and the product development process in Sub-Saharan African manufacturing firms. Implications for the literature on engineering for global development is discussed. Ultimately, this research is a small step towards enabling independent African firms to have the skills, tools, and resources to design and create their own unique solutions for challenges faced in-country.