Mitigating the impact of cross-culture on project team effectiveness in the Nigerian oil and gas industry: The mediating role of organizational culture and project leadership

Abstract

This paper investigates the interplay between cross-culture, organisational culture, path-goal leadership, and team effectiveness in Nigerian oil and gas projects. Employing a quantitative research approach with a philosophical assumption between positivism and relativism, the study examines path-goal leadership and organisational culture as mediating variables. A survey instrument was administered to 230 participants using judgmental recruitment, with a response of 91.3%. A partial least square structural equation modelling approach was implemented for data analysis. The findings reveal that high achievement and directive leadership styles in the Nigerian oil and gas industry lead workers to adopt a long-term orientation cross-culture to effectively adapt to the project working environments. Additionally, the dimensions of organizational culture exert a dominant influence on defining project environments in the industry. To enhance ownership and shared leadership, the study recommended the need to strike a balance between achievement-oriented and shared leadership throughout the project duration. Moreover, proactive occupational health measures can help manage the possible health effect of adaptive work behaviour. Furthermore, industry-wide project audits based on the study's variables can enhance leadership policies and promote a people-oriented leadership approach. The research presented in this study offers both theoretical and practical implications in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.