The influence of board mechanisms to the perceived performance of listed firms in Nigeria

The formation of the board of directors has led to the ever growing debate in the area of corporate governance in Nigeria. Essentially, there is a growing concern about the effectiveness of the board of director to firm performance, This study attempts to investigate an empirical study on the influence of board mechanisms on the perceived firm performance of listed firm in Nigeria. The underpinning theory of the study is rooted in agency theory, supported by three theories of corporate governance such as stewardship, resource dependence, and stakeholder theory to increase the understanding of the influence of board mechanisms to perceived firm performance. The data were collected through proportionate stratified random sampling techniques. The questionnaires were sent to the respondents. Out of 476 questionnaires sent, 401 returned. The number of valid questionnaires is 362. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Empirical findings showed that board size, independence non-executive director, CEO duality, female gender diversity, board competence, board professional knowledge, and experience were positively associated with perceived firm performance. Also, board ethnicity conflict was found to be negatively and statistically significantly related to perceived firm performance. However, director skills did not show any significant link to perceived firm performance. The findings contribute, theoretically to the knowledge of corporate governance. In the context of corporate governance, this is the first study that focused on the issues of methodological changes by using primary data to investigate the influence of board mechanisms on the perceived firm performance of listed firm in Nigeria. The findings provide policymakers, stakeholders, and government with a better picture of the formation of the board of directors. The study also offers some suggestions for future research.