Managing Change in Nigerian Business Organizations

Abstract

Change and uncertainty have become dominant features in today’s work place all over the world. These phenomena have the potentials to make or mar the destiny of any organization. Our study is focused on the strategies for managing change and uncertainties in Nigerian Banks. The study sampled five Banks in the Port Harcourt; used questionnaire and oral interviews as research instruments. Data were obtained, presented and analyzed with simple percentages and frequency distribution tables. The findings were: (a) Nigerian workers embrace change if it is gradually introduced. (b) The mode of introducing change is the greatest determinant of its acceptability or otherwise. (c) Participative decision-making is the most efficacious and potent strategy for overcoming workers resistance to change. The study concluded that organizations and its members must be flexible enough to respond to change and uncertainty, and recommended that Nigerian organizations should encourage participative decision making, change should be introduced subtly after due communication and consultation with those to be affected; and organization should not use coercion in getting anyone to accept change because that could result in sabotage and many other bounce- back- effects.

Key Words: Change, Uncertainty, Resistance, and Participative Decision