Hierarchical Culture and Cybersecurity Performance in Oil and Gas Companies in Cross River State

Ndoma Anakan Neku; Ubi; Ije Ubana

doi:10.56201/ijebm.vol.12.no8.2026.pg78.92

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Hierarchical Culture and Cybersecurity Performance in Oil and Gas Companies in Cross River State

Ndoma Anakan Neku, Ubi, Ije Ubana

Abstract

Excessive reliance on hierarchy affects the structure and control of cybersecurity compliance on policies and procedures for threat detection in the oil and gas industry. This study examined the effect of work formalization, bureaucratic control, and centralization of decision-making on the cybersecurity performance of oil and gas companies in Cross River State. A Competing Values Framework and a sample size of 138 workers were adopted in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to facilitate data collection. Content and face validity and Cronbach's alpha reliability were used to ascertain the reliability of the data. Descriptive statistics and multicollinearity with the variance inflation factor were used to ascertain the accuracy of the data set. The hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis, and findings revealed that work formalization (Beta = 0.674, P < 0.05), bureaucratic control (Beta = 0.664, P < 0.05), and centralization of decision-making (Beta = 0.629, P < 0.05) significantly affect the cybersecurity performance of oil and gas companies. The study recommended that hierarchical culture helps to establish a clear line of responsibility and authority for employees to know who is responsible for cybersecurity policies, incident reporting, system access, and security management. The study recommended that the management of oil and gas companies should adopt the use of formalized work procedures for workers to establish cybersecurity rules for access control, password management, acceptable-use policies, data protection etc. The management should prioritize employees' compliance with cybersecurity procedures and rules, as management is engaged in monitoring compliance for corrective measures against violations. The management should commit to uniform cybersecurity procedures, operational technologies, and access to sensitive information systems across operational locations and departments.

Keywords

Work formalizationBureaucratic controland Centralization of decision-making P-ISSN 2695-186X

References

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Hierarchical Culture and Cybersecurity Performance in Oil and Gas Companies in Cross River State

Abstract

Keywords

References

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