COMMUNICATION AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR CRISIS RESOLUTION IN SELECTED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN DELTA STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Crises of different types occur between managements and students of tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. Communication is all embracing as far as crisis resolution is concerned. Communication is very vital to life and effective communication has the ability to resolve crises of all sorts amicably. This is why communication is seen as important aspect of crisis resolution between managements and students of tertiary institution. This is what motivated this study to assess communication as a tool for crisis resolution in selected tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria.  Social Judgment and Frustration Theories were used as the theoretical perspectives. Delta State has 15 institutions of higher learning with a total population of 77,600. Out of the 15 institutions, the multi-stage sampling technique was used to select  20 percent  from the institutions, faculty/schools, departments and class level. As a result, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku and Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro were selected. Therefore, the total number of sampled students were 1,720.

The survey research design was adopted with questionnaire and interview as instruments of gathering quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed using parametric and non parametric method. The qualitative data on the other hand was analyzed using content analysis to report the  interview responses. The study answered the five research questions and one hypothesis raised for the study. Some of the findings of the study included a  very high level of information flow and usage between managements and students of tertiary institutions in Delta State. Some of the respondents 757 (56%) which are above average said that information flow and usage was very high. Also 679 (50.9) said that information flow regularly from management to students.

Findings also revealed that managements employed good communication strategies in resolving crises between them and the students. Majority of the respondents 911 (68.3) strongly agreed that managements employed communication strategies in the resolution of crises between them and students. This is in tandem with the data generated from the students which confirmed that the institutions’ managements employed different communication strategies  in resolving crises between managements and students. Findings also revealed that the state of peace in any institution of higher learning  are due to  lack of effective information management   between  management and students.

It was concluded that communication is a very viable tool for the resolution of crisis, between managements and students of tertiary institution in Delta State. Therefore all tertiary institutions should always endevour to use appropriate and effective communication in resolving crisis between managements and students. The managements of tertiary institutions should envolve the use of communication rather than force. Communication strategies that are favourable to both the managements and the students should be used in resolving crisis between them.

Keywords: Communication, Crisis, Management, Institution, Resolution 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background to the Study

Communication is indispensable to human existence, it is central to all aspects of life, hence, it occupies a vital parts of our everyday living. Communication has the ability to change behaviour of aggrieved person from negative to positive. This is why it is regarded as a useful tool in crisis management between management and students of institutions of higher learning.  There are different types of communication which mainly include intra-personal communication, inter-personal communication, group communication, extra-personal communication, public communication, traditional communication, cultural communication, international communication and mass communication.

The different types of communication can be used at various times for various purposes to manage and resolve crisis between the management and students of institutions of higher learning. At any point in time, the use  of traditional, interpersonal and mass media (newspaper, magazine, radio, television and the internet), have been acknowledged by communication scholars such as Nwabueze (2014), (Daramola, 2003), Dike (1988)  as playing crucial roles in providing information or messages that can shape  or change people perceptions. Crisis has been defined as a struggle or contest between people with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values or goals ((Foundation Coalition, 2001)

Crisis management is the ability to put crisis under control or the handling of a crisis situation with the intention of achieving peaceful co-existence between the parties involved in the crisis. According to Olajide (2011), crisis management is the process of reducing the negative and disruptive capacity of crisis through communication. Communication plays a number of roles in crisis management such as helping to calm fray nerves, educating parties involved in crisis, establishing and interpreting meanings, information exchange, instrument for growth and development, social transformation  during crisis, promote better teamwork, stimulating debate and sensitization of people amongst others. Crisis between management and students of Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities in Nigeria is at alarming rate especially with government institutions of higher learning. Some of the crises in the institutions of higher learning are caused by a number of factors ranging from struggle for political participation, contest for access to resources, struggle for identity, welfare problem in the institutions, lack of respect for constituted authorities, etc. Crises  between management and students  occur on regular basis in institutions of higher learning in Delta State and this tend to disrupt academic activities in the institutions. For instance, in March 2016 a Higher National Diploma Student of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku was arrested by the Police due to cult related issue. Based on this, the Student Union Government in company of other students chased away the security men and locked the school gate as early as 6.30 a.m.  It took the timely intervention of the Commissioner for Education and Senior Special Assistance to the Governor on Education for the gate to be opened.