Strategic Hybridization and Competitive Positioning of Nigerian State-Owned Enterprises in Privatized Markets

This dissertation develops a theoretical model of strategic hybridization, defined as the simultaneous adoption of public mission and commercial competitive strategies, in Nigerian state-owned enterprises operating in privatized or partially liberalized markets. As Nigeria has progressively privatized segments of energy, telecommunications, and transport, surviving state enterprises face unprecedented competitive pressures while retaining public accountability obligations, creating unique strategic management challenges. Hybrid organization theory, competitive strategy theory, and public enterprise management literature provide the theoretical scaffolding. The research employs a critical realist longitudinal case study design examining four Nigerian state-owned enterprises navigating competitive market entry across the energy, postal services, and transportation sectors over six years. Data were collected through forty-four executive interviews, board documentation analysis, regulatory correspondence review, and performance tracking. Retroductive analysis identified the generative mechanisms of strategic hybridization. Findings reveal that state-owned enterprises achieving the strongest competitive positioning in privatized markets develop distinct hybrid strategic identities that neither fully replicate private-sector competitive logic nor revert to monopolistic public service models. The study develops the Strategic Hybridization Typology as an original theoretical contribution, classifying four hybrid strategic postures and specifying the institutional and governance conditions under which each posture generates competitive advantage. The dissertation makes significant contributions to both public enterprise management theory and competitive strategy theory. Keywords: strategic hybridization, state-owned enterprises, competitive positioning, privatized markets, Nigeria.