RISK MANAGEMENT AND RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF OMAN

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: 2026-04-22
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46281/bjmsr.v11i2.2858
Keywords:
Risk Management, Higher Education, Organisational practices, Smart Services, Organisational Change, Leadership

Main Article Content

Imran Saleem
Professor, College of Business, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4341-9381
Ambreen Saleem
Assistant Professor, GLA University, Mathura, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7991-7027
Ermal Bino
Lecturer, College of Business, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9895-6323
Umar Safdar
Associate Professor, RIEU, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7357-8319

Abstract

Digitalisation, smart service systems, and changing managerial practices are transforming the organisational structures of institutions of higher learning. Nonetheless, these changes often provoke employee resistance, which may slow the institutional Change. The knowledge of the determinants of organizational Change and the causes of resistance to change has thus emerged as a critical concern for higher education institutions, especially for those still developing, such as those in Oman. This paper reviews the connections among Leadership, intelligent quality services, organizational practices, organizational change, and resistance to change in higher education institutions in Oman. The research design used in this study is quantitative, relying on survey data from 218 valid responses from academic and administrative employees of higher education institutions in Oman. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the proposed research framework and to test the direct relationships among the constructs. The outcome illustrates significant effects on the Change of organizations by the Leadership (β = 0.146, t = 3.644, p < 0.001), smart quality services ( β= 0.279, t = 3.937, p < 0.001), and organizational practices ( β= 0.429, t = 6.010, p < 0.001) and attribute 56.1% of the Change to the three variables (R2 = 0.561 Smart quality services (β= 0.300, t = 3.907, p < 0.001) and organizational Change (β= 0.367, t = 6.092, p < 0.001) make significant contributions to the resistance to change (R2 = 0.525).


JEL Classification Codes: I21, I28, O17.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2026): Continuous Publication

Section

Research Paper/Theoretical Paper/Review Paper/Short Communication Paper
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Imran Saleem , Professor, College of Business, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman

Prof. Imran Saleem is a Professor currently serving at the University of Buraimi, Oman. He began his academic career in 1992 and has held several significant academic and administrative positions. Prior to his current role, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh,  Prof. Saleem has an outstanding academic record and has been awarded the PG Merit Gold Medal, PG Merit Scholarship, and JRF-NET. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at IIM Kashipur. His work is well published in indexed journals of repute.

Ambreen Saleem , Assistant Professor, GLA University, Mathura, India

Dr. Ambreen Saleem is an Assistant Professor specializing in Entrepreneurship and Strategy. Her research focuses on opportunity evaluation, entrepreneurial cognition, and the contextual barriers faced by entrepreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs in emerging economies. She is well-versed in quantitative research methods and employs advanced statistical techniques to investigate entrepreneurial behaviour and decision-making. Her work contributes to the fields of entrepreneurship education, policy, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Ermal Bino , Lecturer, College of Business, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman

Mr. Ermal Bino is a Lecturer of Management courses at the University of Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman under the College of Business. He holds MSc in Business and Administration from Canadian Institute of Technology, Tirana, Albania and is currently a PhD student in Strategic Management at the University of Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia. His research interests are Social Capital as competitive advantage, Good Governance and University Performance, Entrepreneurship. 

Umar Safdar , Associate Professor, RIEU, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Sultanate of Oman

Dr. Umar Safdar is an Associate Professor of Business Management and Director of Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Buraimi, Oman. His research interests include innovation management, entrepreneurship, intellectual property management, technology commercialization, and strategic management.

His work also examines artificial intelligence adoption, digital transformation, and innovation ecosystems in higher education and industry. His research broadly focuses on technology-driven entrepreneurship, knowledge commercialization, and sustainable economic development

How to Cite

Saleem , I. ., Saleem , A. ., Bino , E. ., & Safdar , U. . (2026). RISK MANAGEMENT AND RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF OMAN. Bangladesh Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, 11(2), 106-115. https://doi.org/10.46281/bjmsr.v11i2.2858
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

Armenakis, A. A., & Harris, S. G. (2009). Reflections: Our Journey in Organizational Change Research and Practice. Journal of Change Management, 9(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697010902879079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14697010902879079

Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful Change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215

Aksom, H., & Vakulenko, V. (2024). Revisiting the scope and suggesting novel domains of institutional Theory in the public administration research. Teaching Public Administration, 42(2), 230–250. https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231191935 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231191935

Al-Shamsi, I. R., Shannaq, B., Adebiaye, R., & Owusu, T. (2024). Exploring biometric attendance technology in the Arab academic environment: Insights into faculty loyalty and educational performance in policy initiatives. J. Infras. Policy. Dev, 8(9), 6991. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i9.6991 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i9.6991

Ahrens, T., Al-Sereidi, A. A. K., Al-Shaebi, H. F., & Rahmdel, A. H. (2017). Contextualizing the antecedents of organizational innovativeness. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 33(2), 178-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEAS-01-2017-0002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEAS-01-2017-0002

Akhtar, M. N., Bal, M., & Long, L. (2016). Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect reactions to frequency of Change, and impact of Change. Employee Relations, 38(4), 536–562. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2015-0048 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2015-0048

Burnes, B. (2017). Managing Change (7th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education.

DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160. Retrieved from https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/5564159#page=123 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2095101

Erbaş, E. (2024). A theoretical framework for understanding the practice-driven institutionalism: Evidence from hospitality industry. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism, 9(3), 273-287. https://doi.org/10.31822/jomat.2024-9-3-273 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31822/jomat.2024-9-3-273

Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of marketing research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Hiatt, J. (2006). ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community. Loveland, CO: Prosci Research.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate Data Analysis (6th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Hair, J., & Alamer, A. (2022). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research methods in applied linguistics, 1(3), 100027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027

Islam, M. N., Furuoka, F., & Idris, A. (2020). Employee championing behavior in the context of organizational Change: a proposed framework for the business organizations in Bangladesh. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 14(5), 735–757. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-01-2019-0019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-01-2019-0019

Krishnaswamy, J., Nyepit, C. B., & Leow, N. X. (2023). The perceptions of master and bachelor students on the performance of private higher education institutions – an empirical study in Malaysia. International Journal of Educational Management, 37(4), 721–736. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-01-2022-0025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-01-2022-0025

Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/226550

Mudjisusatyo, Y., Darwin, D., & Kisno, K. (2024). Change management in Independent Campus program: application of the ADKAR model as a change management competency constructor. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2381892. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2381892 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2381892

Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. The Journal of applied behavioral science, 47(4), 461-524. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310396550 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310396550

Palmer, N. J., Davies, J., & Viney, C. (2023). Research environment, culture, capacity, capabilities and connectivity. In Business and management doctorates world-wide: Developing the next generation (pp. 125-151). Emerald Publishing Limited. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78973-499-720231005

Park, S., & Jo, S. J. (2018). The impact of proactivity, leader-member exchange, and climate for innovation on innovative behavior in the Korean government sector. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 39(1), 130-149. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2016-0216 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2016-0216

Patergiannaki, Z., & Pollalis, Y. A. (2023). Bridging the gap: assessing disparities in e-Government service offerings and citizen demand. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 17(4), 532–551. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-04-2023-0050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-04-2023-0050

Putra, R., & Putro, B. (2019). Smart education: Educational service system for equal quality education. Paper presented at the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1280/3/032029

Shannaq, B., & Alabri, A. (2025). Evaluating the impact of ChatGPT implementation on HR performance skills: A case study of academic institutions in Oman. Bangladesh Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, 10(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.46281/bjmsr.v10i1.2281 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46281/bjmsr.v10i1.2281

Selznick, P. (1957). Leadership in Administration: A Sociological Interpretation. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.

Scott, W. R. (2014). Institutions and Organizations: Ideas, Interests, and Identities (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Shaikh, I. M., Alsharief, A., Amin, H., Noordin, K., & Shaikh, J. (2023). Inspiring academic confidence in university students: perceived digital experience as a source of self-efficacy. On the Horizon: The International Journal of Learning Futures, 31(2), 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-05-2022-0028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-05-2022-0028

Wen, L., & Mi, D. (2024). Smart choice with smart device: the use of apps in accelerated online education for nontraditional students. Quality Assurance in Education, 32(2), 246-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-10-2023-0173 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-10-2023-0173

Zu, L. (2023). Responsible Management Education: From the Perspective of Taoism. In Responsible Management and Taoism, Volume 2: Transforming Management Education for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (pp. 31-68). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-639-320231004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-639-320231004

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.