PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN CALABAR, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined participative management and organisational sustainability of small-scale manufacturing firms in Calabar, Nigeria. It sought to determine the relationship among decision-making involvement, collaborative information sharing, employee empowerment and organisational sustainability. A cross-sectional research design was adopted. Primary data were collected from 457 managers and operators of small-scale manufacturing firms in Calabar through a structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics while the hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation method. The findings revealed statistically significant and positive relationships between all three participative management practices (decision-making involvement, collaborative information sharing, employee empowerment) and organisational sustainability. Among them, employee empowerment exhibited the strongest correlation, followed by decision-making involvement and then collaborative information sharing. Hence, the study concluded that participative management plays a vital role in enhancing the sustainability of small-scale manufacturing firms. On this basis, it was recommended that small-scale manufacturing firms should prioritize decision-making involvement by systematically including employees in strategic planning and operational problem-solving sessions to leverage their unique insights and foster a sense of shared ownership. It was also recommended that there is a need for small-scale manufacturing firms to improve employee empowerment by regularly providing training on decision-making, increasing access to relevant company information, and establishing clear feedback mechanisms for employee input on operational processes.