Restructuring non-profitable branches is never easy. It often brings resistance from senior management, regulators, employees, and customers—each with their own priorities and concerns. In one such project in Africa, we faced the challenge of optimizing the branch network to improve profitability while ensuring continued financial inclusion. Aligning conflicting interests required strategic thinking, collaboration, and open dialogue.
Aligning Around Common Objectives
The first step was bringing all stakeholders together around shared goals—financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and customer service enhancement. Leadership focused on cost-cutting, regulators prioritized accessibility, and employees worried about job security. To bridge these gaps, we framed the restructuring not as a downsizing effort but as a transformation strategy designed to optimize resources and strengthen long-term viability.
Encouraging Open Dialogue
Resistance often comes from uncertainty. To address this, we engaged stakeholders in structured discussions:
Regulators: We demonstrated how alternative banking models—such as agent banking and digital kiosks—could maintain service availability in underserved areas.
Employees: We reassured staff by offering reskilling programs and creating opportunities for redeployment instead of displacement.
Customers: We communicated clearly about how digital channels and mobile banking would enhance, rather than reduce, service accessibility.
Finding Balanced Solutions
Rather than outright closing non-performing branches, we introduced hybrid models to accommodate different interests:
✅ Agent Banking & Mobile Solutions – Partnering with third-party agents reduced operational costs while ensuring financial access.
✅ Hub-and-Spoke Model – Smaller branches were consolidated into regional hubs to optimize staffing and services.
✅ Operational Efficiencies – A shift toward digital banking helped lower costs and improve customer convenience.
Key Outcomes & Takeaways
By prioritizing strategic alignment and stakeholder collaboration, we reduced operational costs by over 30% while maintaining service availability. Employee morale remained intact due to redeployment opportunities, and regulators supported the shift as it reinforced financial inclusion.
💡 Lesson learned? Stakeholder conflicts in restructuring projects can be successfully navigated by focusing on shared objectives, fostering open dialogue, and implementing balanced solutions that address different interests.
🔹 Have you faced stakeholder conflicts in transformation projects? How did you navigate them? Share your thoughts!
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