Relevance, transferability and generalisation

Ultimately, the detailed description of any group, including branch managers, and their perspectives are not, in of themselves, of intrinsic value for the advancement of academic and disciplinary knowledge (Hammersley, 1992; Mason, 2002). Rather any academic study or thesis should make generalisations or inferences with relevance beyond its immediate setting. Given that this thesis is qualitative in nature, such generalisations would be of a theoretical rather than empirical nature (Brewer, 2008), as is most typical for quantitative studies. The extent to which and the type of generalisations one can draw depends on the rationale for selecting a setting (e.g. pivotal case, atypical case etc.) (Mason, 2002). Generalisations or wider inferences should be specified to a particular category of phenomena, time and place (Hammersley, 1992; Mason, 2002).

Apart from generalising to a wider population, which she does not recommend, Mason (2002) identifies four main forms of generalisations that qualitative researchers can make. First, researchers can draw out lessons for other settings based on analysing processes in specific settings. Such an approach may, at the very least, demonstrate that such processes can work in a specified way and there thus may be lessons for other settings. This form of generalisation “is based on the idea that you can use your detailed and holistic explanation of one setting, or set of processes, to frame relevant questions about others” (Mason, 2002, p. 196). The limits of generalisations depend on the similarities of the other settings one is generalising to. Second, researchers may seek to explain extreme or pivotal cases or set of processes. This may include explaining or describing processes that are key to a particular set of theories or to social change, or account for extreme or unusual cases relevant to a larger body of theory and research. Third, one may make an argument for wider resonance based on the rigour of the analysis. To make such a claim for resonance, the methods need to be accurate and demonstrate validity in method and interpretation. Fourth, a researcher may seek to explain processes and phenomena in a strategically selected range of contexts.

69 According to Mason (2002, p. 197):

This is a particularly strong way of generalizing from qualitative data because it is based on a logic of demonstrating how context and explanation are intimately connected, and which uses rather than glosses over specificity and difference.

This thesis’ claim to wider resonance is through developing a rich and holistic account of the development of the role of the branch manager between 1960 and to- date, and by drawing out lessons for similar settings. These other settings have to share some of the same characteristics. The findings of this thesis may be relevant for service providers in which local gatekeepers have the authority and autonomy to determine access to services and are known to do so by service users. Further resonance may arise where technological, economic and ideological factors are driving service providers to seek to limit the role of such gatekeepers. Specifically, the findings of the thesis may offer lessons to such settings concerning the relationship with users and the impact of limiting the authority of such gatekeepers. In particular, the findings will have resonance within the body of theory and research on financial service provision and banking.

Although the thesis does not make a claim to generalise to a wider population, it does want to say something about British banking as a sector. Further, the characteristics of the particular banks may also affect the experience, career and perspectives of the branch managers. Therefore, a discussion about the representation of British banks in the sample is warranted. There were four major British banks in the period in which the interviewees were branch managers (1968-2004). These are Midland Bank (later HSBC), Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds, and are often referred to as the Big Four. Thus, in terms of the representation of the experiences of branch managers from the major British banks, one needs to consider the impact of the over-representation of branch managers from Midland Bank and HSBC, the under-representation of interviewees from Lloyds and the absence of managers from NatWest.

The Lloyds banking group, for which there are only two interviewees and one branch manager, has historically been the smallest of the Big Four (Rogers, 1999). Having suffered great losses from Latin American and commercial real-estate loans following

70

its early entry into international banking, the bank largely focused on the UK market from the late 80s onwards (Rogers, 1999). Whilst Lloyds was very much a specialist and focused bank, Barclays, the bank second best represented in the sample, was a conglomerate and a universal bank following the Big Bang in 1986 (Rogers, 1999). Since the 1950s, Barclays and NatWest alternated between being the largest bank in the UK (Rogers, 1999). Barclays was the most family-dominated banks of the Big Four (Ackrill & Hannah, 2001) and up until the 1970s the founding families of the banks constituting Barclays were still dominant (Rogers, 1999). NatWest, the only bank of the Big Four not represented in the sample, has traditionally been similar to Barclays in size and strategy as they are both seen as the “giants of British banking” (Rogers, 1999, p. 122). The banks also have a similar product mix (Rogers, 1999).

The greatest proportion of the sample worked for Midland Bank, now HSBC, thus warranting greater consideration. Once thought to be the largest bank in the world (Holmes & Green, 1986), Midland Bank experienced a long period of decline since the 1940s and, by the late 90s, it was the smallest of the Big Four (Rogers, 1999). According to Rogers (1999), this was because of a number of characteristics including its large centralised bureaucracy, continuing link to provincial roots and heavy industry in Manchester and Birmingham, provincial and non-competitive approach to international banking, the dominance of retail bankers who had worked their way up in the system, and a fragmented management team. However:

Though the serious decline had been building for at least a decade before, it accelerated with Midland’s acquisition of Crocker Bank of California in 1980, followed by its sale of Crocker in 1986 to Wells Fargo at an estimated loss of $1 billion (Rogers, 1999, p. 177).

This eventually led to HSBC taking over Midland Bank in 1992. The long-term decline of the bank, the ill-judged acquisition of Crocker and the take-over by HSBC led the management of the bank to pursue a series of reorganisations. Sir Kit McMahon, the deputy governor of the Bank of England who was appointed as CEO of the bank in 1986, pursued a “strategy of computerization and centralization” (Rogers, 1999, p. 177). Brian Pierse, who took over as CEO of Midland in 1991, reversed this strategy and sought to delegate more responsibility down to branch

71

managers (Rogers, 1999). Finally, the HSBC take-over of Midland led to an increased pressure on cost cutting with Purves as the new Chair and CEO (Rogers, 1999).

The nature and character of the banks of the respondents will have impacted on their experience as branch managers in a number of ways. The strategy and product mix of the bank may have affected the type of customers they were dealing with and the activities they engaged with as branch managers. The banks’ culture and structure may have influenced the level of autonomy of the branch manager. Finally, the speed and magnitude of change and reorganisations, brought about, at least in part, due to the perceived need and the state of the bank, may have affected interviewees’ career prospects and their role as branch managers. This is because more comprehensive and radical reorganisations, particularly centralisation or decentralisation of authority, will have affected the roles of the staff subject to these reorganisations. Ultimately, more radical reforms within banking have often been associated with cost cutting and redundancies that may have impacted on how the respondents viewed the bank (i.e. cold, non-caring etc.).