Impacts of Effective Communication on Managing Rumour During Change in Higher Institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Impacts of Effective Communication on Managing Rumour During Change in Higher Institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria

¹ Olanike Justinah OLUSOLA, ² Ibikunle Olayiwola AJISAFE (PhD), ³ Omowumi Bukola OLASEINDE (PhD)., ⁴ Goodluck Tamarameiye LAYEFA (PhD)

^1,3 Department of Communication Studies, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere

^2,4 Department of Media and Communication Studies Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.913COM0014

Received: 05 April 2025; Accepted: 09 April 2025; Published: 12 May 2025

ABSTRACT

Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change. Previous studies have focused on rumour management in corporate organisations in the energy, banking and health sectors with little attention on educational institutions. This study, therefore, is designed to identify the causes and channels of rumour and also investigate the strategies of managing them during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State. Uncertainty Reduction Theory is adopted. The study employs survey research design, and two Ekiti State owned universities – Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU), and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) are selected. 350 respondents are selected from both institutions; the two universities’ Public Relations Officers and six union leaders are interviewed. Cases of rumours identified include non-payment of salary, staff disengagement and overstaffing. The causes of rumours found out are lack of regular communication, change in administrative heads and uncertainty. The study further finds out that 104 respondents representing 30.1% of its respondents agree that social media are the channels through which rumour starts and spreads during change, and 113, 32.7% of the respondents agree that effective communication by management during change process is a strategy that can reduce anxiety and uncertainty that may lead to rumour in higher institutions in times of change. The study recommends that management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain good relationship with employees through regular and effective communication especially during times of change.

Keywords: Organisational change, communication, media, union leaders.

INTRODUCTION

Communication is the backbone of human civilisation as it is an expression of information, ideas, cultures, attitudes and other components of the society between two or more persons. Grifin and Patten (1976) in Fatimayin (2018) define communication as “the process of creating meanings as well as ascribing them” (p. 1). Communication also serves as a medium for bringing places and people together. It is also an area of study that deals with the dissemination of messages and broadcasting. Organisations cannot function well without effective communication within units, departments and employees; hence, communication remains a major factor in management function (Fatimayin, 2018).

Rumour-mongering is recognised as a means of social interaction. Allport and Bordia (1947) define rumour as “a specific proposition for belief, passed along from person to person, usually by word of mouth, without secure standards of evidence being present” (p. 250). It can also be called gossip or hearsay. Nevertheless, while rumours are typically about significant subjects, gossip is usually about personal affairs and is employed to convey social customs (Difonzo & Bordia, 2002). Rumour can be news or information which has no factual starting point. Rumour can be found in any society from among individuals, and groups to the masses.  However, gossip is described by Baumeister et.al. (2004), as a potentially powerful and proficient medium of spreading information about the norms, policies and other guiding principles of living in a particular culture.

Rumour has become part of human phenomenon and it is nearly as old as human being. It can therefore not be gotten rid of either within an organisation or the larger society (Li and Zhang, 2015). It is also regarded as unverified information which can be transmitted by word of mouth. Rumour is used as an individual property to gain the attention of the organisational management, especially if all attempts to create proper understanding of what the management of an organisation is doing or planning to do fails. Members of such an organisation, even labour leaders, result into sharing rumours among the staff. Thus, rumours can emerge from this and it can lead to serious crisis if not properly managed.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a pandemic that brought a lot of change to nations socially, emotionally, medically and economically; governments of the Western nations had to set up agencies to manage rumours and help the citizens differentiate between facts and rumours. World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centres for Disease Control took up the responsibility of controlling rumours at the time (Cathy, 2020).

During times of change, employees may feel uncertain and anxious about their future within an institution. This can lead to the spread of rumours, which can be detrimental to the success of any change initiative. Rumour that refers directly to the activities or programmes of an higher institution can pose a risk to the reputation of such institutions. For example, rumour that has to do with the admission of students, health of students as a result of change of cooks or cooking seasonings, and accreditation of major courses can cause a major havoc to the reputation of such educational institutions. Hence, special attention must be given to prevent such a rumour from breaking out. Before the Internet age, rumours spread at a slow pace but now with the advent of Internet-based media networks, and with the popularity that retweeting has gained on social networks, the transmission of a rumour is currently at the speed of light and endemic around the world (Meel &Vishwarkama, 2020). Thus, the proliferation of rumours within higher institutions poses a significant challenge, impacting the academic environment and administrative processes. There have been studies on rumour management in different corporate organisations like energy, banking and health sectors but little attention has been given to educational sector during the times of change. This study investigates the causes and channels of propagating rumours with the ultimate goal of studying the roles of effective communication in the management of rumours in higher education settings. The study used Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) which are the two State Government owned universities in Ekiti State as its case studies. This is because State Government owned institutions are more prone to changes anytime there is change in the leadership of the state than other universities.

Literature Review

Many scholars have defined rumours differently. Floyd Allport, Godon Allport, Leon Festinger, Dorwin Cartwright and John Thibaut are researchers who have researched on rumour in different contexts (Difonzo and Bordia, 2007). One of the earliest researchers on rumour transmission theory is Buckner (1965). Rumour is like communication and it is multi-faceted in nature. Rumour is an informal or official means of communication in any organisation, and it is not to be taken with levity because of both the negative and positive impacts it can have on organisations and society. Clearly, rumour is as old as human existence; however, with the advent of the Internet, rumours have more prevalent and problematic. Arun (2019) asserts that though rumour is old, the emergence of technology has changed the vehicle upon which it travels. Because it is considered special information, rumour has a history of starting and spreading across histories, epochs and human societies (Jia et. al., 2019)

Information from rumour is obtained third hand. Many times, finding the source of a rumour is difficult. All you hear people say are:“Don’t question me on who told me, but have you heard too…?’; and “Don’t say I told you, but did you hear that…?’ Hence, the source of the information cannot be located or identified.

Another generally agreed upon fact about rumour is that, it is unofficial, unverified and unsubstantiated by the authority and there are no evidences to prove that the information (rumour) is authentic. Rumour remains unverified when there is no supporting evidence or there is no “official confirmation from authoritative sources” (Zubiaga et. al., 2018, p. 3). It can also be regarded as ‘hearsay’; yet, some spreaders still believe that rumours have elements of facts underneath. Nekovee et al. (2008) in Meluzin et al. (2021) view rumour as something that contaminates the mind and compare its spread to the equivalent of an epidemic.

Effective communication is the key, if the implementation of any change will be successful. Organisations resort to change management to maximise their advantages and reduce the risks of failing in the change implementation. Every move of change taken by organisations is first resisted because change is seen as a negative thing. Thus, a two-way communication is needed in the process of implementing a change. Communication during a period of change is aimed at motivating, gaining support and achieving success by giving answers to employees’ questions and reducing their anxieties. A successful change process requires a change management communication plan, where an intentional effort is made to communicate with employees and make them believe that the change is a positive process. This will also take away their negative feelings and behaviours about the change (Malek & Yazdanifard, 2012).

According to Waraich and Bhardwaj (2007) in Shaikh (2020), change is defined as “continuous modifications that an organisation or individuals make to deal with adjustments in any matter” (p. 40). Organisational change is therefore defined as a process in which a company, organisation or individual changes its working techniques or aims. The common changes experienced in higher institutions of learning are changes of leadership, changes of school policies, restructuring, changes in school fees, etc. All these can lead to unrest if not properly communicated with the stakeholders. Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change.

Uncertainty has been identified as one of the reasons for organisational rumour during change. This is why this study is hanging on the Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT). The theory was propounded by Charles R. Berger and Richard J. Calabrese in 1975, and it focuses on three major areas – first is the reason why we have a feeling of anxiety when we interact with strangers, or when we find ourselves in new situations; second is how to manage the uncertainties we experience when our friends act in unexpected ways; and thirdly the kinds of things that cause us to feel uncertain when we are dealing with other people (Redmond, 2015).

Research Methodology

This research focuses on the roles that effective communication plays in managing rumours during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. For that reason, this study used survey design which enables easy administration of questionnaire to the sampled employees and union leaders of the two universities under study. Face-to-face and phone interviews were employed to gather information from Public Relations Officers and labour union leaders of the two higher institutions chosen for this research. These methods suit the study as they guarantee unbiased, objective and authentic data gathering.

The population of this study includes the total number of employees (and specifically the institutions’ Public Relations Officers). The reason for targeting the above respondents is to ascertain the causes of rumour in higher learning institutions in Ekiti State, especially in a time of change, and to know how effective communication employed by the institutions’ Public Relations Officers can prevent and mitigate its negative eventuality. The Public Relations Officers, from experience, would know the effective communication strategies put in place to manage rumours in the past and the results gained from such management.

Administration of Questionnaire

The sample size for the study was determined by Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula. Proportional sampling size method was employed to select three hundred and fifty (350) employees from both universities. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 210 and 140 respondents from EKSU and BOUESTI respectively (totalling the 350) with a sample interval of 11; 20 as a starting point.  Questionnaires were administered to the 350 employees selected and 346 questionnaires were returned which served as the basis for the research. The questionnaire is divided into five sections. The first section is on demography where respondents identified their gender, rank, educational level and age range. The second section is on the causes of rumour, the third section is on the channels people use to spread rumours in higher institutions, and the fourth section is on the strategies employed to mitigate the spread of rumour in higher institutions in Ekiti State.

Interview Forms

This research adopted a semi-structured interview form based on the related literature used in collecting data during the interviews. Semi-structured interview technique is more flexible and also convenient for data collection as it affords researchers the freedom to ask additional questions so as to get more information about the question asked, Mathers et al. (2000).

Data Collection and Analysis Process

Before the administering the questionnaires and starting the interviews, the employees were informed by the researcher about the purpose of the research. Then the Public Relations Officers were interviewed face to face and via mail. During the interviews, the researcher explained and probed to obtain more detailed information. The data collected from the interview was analysed using thematic statistics where responses were put into themes. Data collected through questionnaires were collated, arranged, coded and computed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Software to achieve the research’s objective.

Credibility and Validity of the Research

The instruments adopted in this study were subjected to face validation by experts who examined them for clarity and to confirm that they could achieve the objectives of the research. The reliability of the research instrument is done to ensure the dependability and consistency of results gathered from the instrument. A pilot study was conducted on 10 percent of the sample size, which was 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. Test-retest reliability method was employed among the 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and the data gathered were analysed using SPSS.

Table 1: Reliability Analysis

The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test conducted at 10% sample size shows 0.851 Cronbach’s Alpha, a very good reliability.

Source: Field Survey 2023

Cronbach’s Alpha if Item Deleted shows the Cronbach’s Alpha value which are all reduced from the original .851 indicating a lesser reliability, hence removing any of the item will reduce reliability at a 10% sample size of 35, therefore none is best removed.

Research Hypothesis

Ho: Effective communication strategies have no influence on rumour management, p = 0.5

Ha: Effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management, p ¹ 0.5

Expected frequency = 69.2 which shows null is true.

Rule: Null is rejected if expected frequencies for the communication strategies are not same.

Table 2 Hypothesis testing

Source: Field study 2023

The table above, Test Statistics, provides the actual result of the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. It can be seen from this table that our test statistic is statistically significant: χ2 (4) = 36.803 for strategy 1, 66.543, 89.231, and 72.006 for other strategies, all at a p < .0005. Therefore, we can reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there are statistically significant differences in the expected frequencies (Expected N), which are the frequencies expected if the null hypothesis is true and not the same for any of the communication strategies. The alternative hypothesis is therefore accepted, and it is concluded that effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The findings of the study were visualized using the tables as presented below.

Table 3: Percentage result for causes of rumour in higher institution

Source: Field Survey, 2023

The results reveal that on anxiety about job and desired promotion as the first cause, 103 individuals 29.8% respondents strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 26.6%, 18.8%, 18.2%, and 6.4%, at a frequency of 92, 65, 63, and 22 disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively on the causal relationship between anxiety and rumour. Hence, the majority 29.8% do not agree that anxiety about the job and desired promotion cause rumours in the institution. This could be because the majority disagree and express disbelief in the rumour mentioned.

In the second cause of lack of regular communication with management, 21.1% of respondents at a frequency of 73 strongly disagree, while 24.9%, 21.1%, 19.9%, and 12.7%, at a frequency of 86, 73, 69, and 44, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Therefore, the majority at 24.9% disagree that lack of regular communication with management leads to rumour.

In the third cause of change of administrative head, 12.7% of respondents at a frequency of 44 strongly disagree that there is a causal relationship, while 31.2%, 27.7%, 23.4%, and 4.0%, at a frequency of 108, 96, 81, and 14,disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 31.2% disagree that the change of administrative head causes rumour in the institution. This could be related to the issue of tenure of office, and the fact different units have autonomous control over their operations which cannot be affected by change in authority.

In the fourth cause of uncertainty about what the newly appointed principal officers and council members might do, 20.2% of respondents with a frequency of 70 strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 25.4%, 29.9%, 18.5%, and 5.5%, with frequencies of 88, 103, 64, and 19, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 29.9% are neutral on whether uncertainty about what the newly anointed principal officers and council members might do tends to cause rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fifth cause on selective promotion exercise, 24.3% of respondents at a frequency of 84 strongly disagree, while 24.6%, 22.8%, 22.8%, and 4.3%, at a frequency of 85, 79, 79, and 15, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively with the causal relationship. It should be observed that there are slight differences between the number who strongly disagree to those who disagree at 0.3%, and there is a tie between the neutral and respondents who agree to selective promotion exercises being a causal factor for rumour. However, the majority 24.6% strongly disagree that selective promotion exercise causes rumour in the institution probably because such procedures are periodic (time-based) and planned for.

Table 4: Frequency and percentage result for channels of rumours

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 4 shows the channels through which rumours start and spread. It is revealed that 20.2% of the respondents at a frequency of 70 affirm that rumours start and spread from the labour union leaders; 26.9% at a frequency of 93 affirm that rumours start and spread from colleagues at work; 30.1% at a frequency of 104 affirm that rumours start and spread from the social media; and 22.8% respondents at a frequency of 79 affirm that the start and spread of rumour come from family and friends. The majority at 30.1% affirm that social media are the main source and channels for spreading rumours. This could be the result of the acknowledgement of social media as being common tools for fake news and propaganda, and the lack of authenticity and verification of most information on social media channels.

Table 5: Effective strategies for managing rumour

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 5 shows the effective strategies for managing rumours in higher institutions. The results reveal that open forum meetings reduce anxiety as the first strategy: 90 respondents which are 26.0% strongly disagree with the strategy, while 11.6%, 13.0%, 27.2%, and 22.3%, at a frequency of 40, 45, 94, and 77, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Respondents who strongly disagree maintain a close margin with those who agree with a difference of 1.2%. Hence, the majority 27.2% agree that open forum meetings reduce anxiety and are an effective management approach to rumour in the institution because credible and vital pieces of information are passed down at such open forum meetings.

The second strategy of press release as a strategy for reducing uncertainty reveals that: 5.5% of respondents at a frequency of 19 strongly disagree, while 23.4%, 18.5%, 32.7%, and 19.9%, at a frequency of 81, 64, 113, 69, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 32.7% agree that press release reduces uncertainty and serves as a good strategy for the management of rumours.

In the third case on the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary, 6.4% of respondents at a frequency of 22 strongly disagree, while 16.8%, 24.6%, 36.7%, and 15.6%, at a frequency of 58, 85, 127, and 54, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 36.7% agree that the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary is a good management strategy for rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fourth strategy of regular reassurance about staff welfare reveals that: 6.9% of respondents at a frequency of 24 strongly disagree probably because such initiatives are usually not result-oriented; while 16.5% disagree, 26.3%, 33.5%, and 16.8%, at a frequency of 57, 91, 116, and 58 are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority at 33.5% agree that regular reassurance about staff welfare is a good strategy to curb rumour in the institution.

Responding to interview questions  on the communication strategies employed by Public Relations Officer to mitigate the spread of rumour and manage its consequences in their institutions, Olofinmuagun (2023), the information Officer for Ekiti State University (EKSU) agreed that it could be difficult to prevent rumours but he insisted that the Public Relations arm of higher institutions must be in constant touch with the Chief Executive Officers since no press statement can be issued without the approval of the latter. This position also agrees with Akinbisoye (2023), the Public Relations and Protocol Officer of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) who submits that Public Relations Officers are obliged to advise the Chief Executive Officers on how to build trust between the management and the employees.  Another strategy that Public Relations practitioners employ in preventing rumour from spreading during an organisational change according to Akinbisoye (2023) is transparency, which is underscored by regular and effective communication with employees about the change initiative. Making a staff of the Public Relations Office the social media watchman, who surveys social media platforms and alerts the management in case of any destructive rumour, is another strategy advocated and employed by Olofinmuagun (2023). In agreement with Difonzo (2016) that effective communication plays a major role in the change process, Akinbisoye (2023) opines that the issuance of official statements in any prevailing situation goes a long way in managing rumour in time of change.

This research aimed to determine the causes of rumour and channels of spreading rumours during change in higher institutions of learning. It also sought to determine effective communication strategies to manage organisational rumours during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State Nigeria. For that reason, employees were served questionnaires and Public Relations Officers were interviewed.

In the research, the employees put forward various reasons rumours spread easily and speedily during organisational change, and popular channels through which rumours spread. On the other hand, Public Relations Officers also unveiled the communication strategies that have been working for their institutions over the years.

Based on the research findings, the following results related to causes of rumours and effective communication strategies for its management were unveiled.

The result of this research shows that causes of rumours include uncertainty about the change in administrative heads, lack of effective communication and transparency. In support of this finding, an interview respondent asserts that people start and spread rumours intentionally when there is a change of leadership to pull down the new government or defame the past administration.

The study also investigates some effective rumour management strategies, which include effective regular communication, press releases on issues that concern all the institution’s stakeholders, release of an official memorandum to explain reasons for any delay in releasing the welfare of the employees. Creating social media surveillance to track down any destructive rumour, and addressing it as soon as it emerges, is a major strategy employed by institutions to manage rumour.

CONCLUSION

In line with its objectives, the study has shown that rumour is part of humans’ social life, and it cannot be done away with in its entirety in society. The study has also demonstrated the causes of rumours in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study has shown that if rumour is well managed, the destructive effect of rumour on any organisation is preventable.

The study establishes that most change initiatives come like rumours at the initial stage, but the rumours are known to become the reality, even when debunked by the institutions when the change is eventually implemented. It can be concluded that management uses rumour to introduce their change initiatives to reduce the noise that the proposed change would cause when it is eventually implemented. Also, if the management is seen not to be transparent enough, the union leaders use rumours to find out the truth by exaggerating the information they have at hand.

Limitations and Recommendations for future Researches

The following limitations were encountered in the course of this study.

This study is only limited to the Ekiti State-owned universities; further studies can be extended to other states in Nigeria.

The union leaders were mostly inaccessible for face-to-face interviews, claiming tight schedules; hence, the researcher resorted to phone interviews.

Based on the findings of the study and the conclusion reached that rumour is a human phenomenon which cannot be totally prevented but can be effectively managed within the context of a management-employee relationship in the period of change, the study recommends the following:

Management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain a good relationship with  their employees and staff union leaders through regular communication. That said, when there is a need for change, it will be easy for employees and union leaders to trust whatever explanation the management gives for the change.

Public Relations Officers who are saddled with the responsibility of image making and laundering for the institutions should be in close contact with management to be able to give proper advice on change communication.

Management through the Public Relations Officers must assign someone as a social media watchman to track down destructive rumours and notify the management without any delay.

Even though this research work is an addition to knowledge in understanding effective rumour management during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, other research can be carried out in other states in Nigeria. This study focuses on state-owned universities, but another research is recommended to be carried out in the privately-owned institutions in the state under study and other states of Nigeria.

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Organisational change, communication, media, union leaders.

Impacts of Effective Communication on Managing Rumour During Change in Higher Institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria

¹ Olanike Justinah OLUSOLA, ² Ibikunle Olayiwola AJISAFE (PhD), ³ Omowumi Bukola OLASEINDE (PhD)., ⁴ Goodluck Tamarameiye LAYEFA (PhD)

^1,3 Department of Communication Studies, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere

^2,4 Department of Media and Communication Studies Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.913COM0014

Received: 05 April 2025; Accepted: 09 April 2025; Published: 12 May 2025

ABSTRACT

Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change. Previous studies have focused on rumour management in corporate organisations in the energy, banking and health sectors with little attention on educational institutions. This study, therefore, is designed to identify the causes and channels of rumour and also investigate the strategies of managing them during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State. Uncertainty Reduction Theory is adopted. The study employs survey research design, and two Ekiti State owned universities – Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU), and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) are selected. 350 respondents are selected from both institutions; the two universities’ Public Relations Officers and six union leaders are interviewed. Cases of rumours identified include non-payment of salary, staff disengagement and overstaffing. The causes of rumours found out are lack of regular communication, change in administrative heads and uncertainty. The study further finds out that 104 respondents representing 30.1% of its respondents agree that social media are the channels through which rumour starts and spreads during change, and 113, 32.7% of the respondents agree that effective communication by management during change process is a strategy that can reduce anxiety and uncertainty that may lead to rumour in higher institutions in times of change. The study recommends that management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain good relationship with employees through regular and effective communication especially during times of change.

Keywords: Organisational change, communication, media, union leaders.

INTRODUCTION

Communication is the backbone of human civilisation as it is an expression of information, ideas, cultures, attitudes and other components of the society between two or more persons. Grifin and Patten (1976) in Fatimayin (2018) define communication as “the process of creating meanings as well as ascribing them” (p. 1). Communication also serves as a medium for bringing places and people together. It is also an area of study that deals with the dissemination of messages and broadcasting. Organisations cannot function well without effective communication within units, departments and employees; hence, communication remains a major factor in management function (Fatimayin, 2018).

Rumour-mongering is recognised as a means of social interaction. Allport and Bordia (1947) define rumour as “a specific proposition for belief, passed along from person to person, usually by word of mouth, without secure standards of evidence being present” (p. 250). It can also be called gossip or hearsay. Nevertheless, while rumours are typically about significant subjects, gossip is usually about personal affairs and is employed to convey social customs (Difonzo & Bordia, 2002). Rumour can be news or information which has no factual starting point. Rumour can be found in any society from among individuals, and groups to the masses.  However, gossip is described by Baumeister et.al. (2004), as a potentially powerful and proficient medium of spreading information about the norms, policies and other guiding principles of living in a particular culture.

Rumour has become part of human phenomenon and it is nearly as old as human being. It can therefore not be gotten rid of either within an organisation or the larger society (Li and Zhang, 2015). It is also regarded as unverified information which can be transmitted by word of mouth. Rumour is used as an individual property to gain the attention of the organisational management, especially if all attempts to create proper understanding of what the management of an organisation is doing or planning to do fails. Members of such an organisation, even labour leaders, result into sharing rumours among the staff. Thus, rumours can emerge from this and it can lead to serious crisis if not properly managed.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a pandemic that brought a lot of change to nations socially, emotionally, medically and economically; governments of the Western nations had to set up agencies to manage rumours and help the citizens differentiate between facts and rumours. World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centres for Disease Control took up the responsibility of controlling rumours at the time (Cathy, 2020).

During times of change, employees may feel uncertain and anxious about their future within an institution. This can lead to the spread of rumours, which can be detrimental to the success of any change initiative. Rumour that refers directly to the activities or programmes of an higher institution can pose a risk to the reputation of such institutions. For example, rumour that has to do with the admission of students, health of students as a result of change of cooks or cooking seasonings, and accreditation of major courses can cause a major havoc to the reputation of such educational institutions. Hence, special attention must be given to prevent such a rumour from breaking out. Before the Internet age, rumours spread at a slow pace but now with the advent of Internet-based media networks, and with the popularity that retweeting has gained on social networks, the transmission of a rumour is currently at the speed of light and endemic around the world (Meel &Vishwarkama, 2020). Thus, the proliferation of rumours within higher institutions poses a significant challenge, impacting the academic environment and administrative processes. There have been studies on rumour management in different corporate organisations like energy, banking and health sectors but little attention has been given to educational sector during the times of change. This study investigates the causes and channels of propagating rumours with the ultimate goal of studying the roles of effective communication in the management of rumours in higher education settings. The study used Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) which are the two State Government owned universities in Ekiti State as its case studies. This is because State Government owned institutions are more prone to changes anytime there is change in the leadership of the state than other universities.

Literature Review

Many scholars have defined rumours differently. Floyd Allport, Godon Allport, Leon Festinger, Dorwin Cartwright and John Thibaut are researchers who have researched on rumour in different contexts (Difonzo and Bordia, 2007). One of the earliest researchers on rumour transmission theory is Buckner (1965). Rumour is like communication and it is multi-faceted in nature. Rumour is an informal or official means of communication in any organisation, and it is not to be taken with levity because of both the negative and positive impacts it can have on organisations and society. Clearly, rumour is as old as human existence; however, with the advent of the Internet, rumours have more prevalent and problematic. Arun (2019) asserts that though rumour is old, the emergence of technology has changed the vehicle upon which it travels. Because it is considered special information, rumour has a history of starting and spreading across histories, epochs and human societies (Jia et. al., 2019)

Information from rumour is obtained third hand. Many times, finding the source of a rumour is difficult. All you hear people say are:“Don’t question me on who told me, but have you heard too…?’; and “Don’t say I told you, but did you hear that…?’ Hence, the source of the information cannot be located or identified.

Another generally agreed upon fact about rumour is that, it is unofficial, unverified and unsubstantiated by the authority and there are no evidences to prove that the information (rumour) is authentic. Rumour remains unverified when there is no supporting evidence or there is no “official confirmation from authoritative sources” (Zubiaga et. al., 2018, p. 3). It can also be regarded as ‘hearsay’; yet, some spreaders still believe that rumours have elements of facts underneath. Nekovee et al. (2008) in Meluzin et al. (2021) view rumour as something that contaminates the mind and compare its spread to the equivalent of an epidemic.

Effective communication is the key, if the implementation of any change will be successful. Organisations resort to change management to maximise their advantages and reduce the risks of failing in the change implementation. Every move of change taken by organisations is first resisted because change is seen as a negative thing. Thus, a two-way communication is needed in the process of implementing a change. Communication during a period of change is aimed at motivating, gaining support and achieving success by giving answers to employees’ questions and reducing their anxieties. A successful change process requires a change management communication plan, where an intentional effort is made to communicate with employees and make them believe that the change is a positive process. This will also take away their negative feelings and behaviours about the change (Malek & Yazdanifard, 2012).

According to Waraich and Bhardwaj (2007) in Shaikh (2020), change is defined as “continuous modifications that an organisation or individuals make to deal with adjustments in any matter” (p. 40). Organisational change is therefore defined as a process in which a company, organisation or individual changes its working techniques or aims. The common changes experienced in higher institutions of learning are changes of leadership, changes of school policies, restructuring, changes in school fees, etc. All these can lead to unrest if not properly communicated with the stakeholders. Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change.

Uncertainty has been identified as one of the reasons for organisational rumour during change. This is why this study is hanging on the Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT). The theory was propounded by Charles R. Berger and Richard J. Calabrese in 1975, and it focuses on three major areas – first is the reason why we have a feeling of anxiety when we interact with strangers, or when we find ourselves in new situations; second is how to manage the uncertainties we experience when our friends act in unexpected ways; and thirdly the kinds of things that cause us to feel uncertain when we are dealing with other people (Redmond, 2015).

Research Methodology

This research focuses on the roles that effective communication plays in managing rumours during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. For that reason, this study used survey design which enables easy administration of questionnaire to the sampled employees and union leaders of the two universities under study. Face-to-face and phone interviews were employed to gather information from Public Relations Officers and labour union leaders of the two higher institutions chosen for this research. These methods suit the study as they guarantee unbiased, objective and authentic data gathering.

The population of this study includes the total number of employees (and specifically the institutions’ Public Relations Officers). The reason for targeting the above respondents is to ascertain the causes of rumour in higher learning institutions in Ekiti State, especially in a time of change, and to know how effective communication employed by the institutions’ Public Relations Officers can prevent and mitigate its negative eventuality. The Public Relations Officers, from experience, would know the effective communication strategies put in place to manage rumours in the past and the results gained from such management.

Administration of Questionnaire

The sample size for the study was determined by Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula. Proportional sampling size method was employed to select three hundred and fifty (350) employees from both universities. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 210 and 140 respondents from EKSU and BOUESTI respectively (totalling the 350) with a sample interval of 11; 20 as a starting point.  Questionnaires were administered to the 350 employees selected and 346 questionnaires were returned which served as the basis for the research. The questionnaire is divided into five sections. The first section is on demography where respondents identified their gender, rank, educational level and age range. The second section is on the causes of rumour, the third section is on the channels people use to spread rumours in higher institutions, and the fourth section is on the strategies employed to mitigate the spread of rumour in higher institutions in Ekiti State.

Interview Forms

This research adopted a semi-structured interview form based on the related literature used in collecting data during the interviews. Semi-structured interview technique is more flexible and also convenient for data collection as it affords researchers the freedom to ask additional questions so as to get more information about the question asked, Mathers et al. (2000).

Data Collection and Analysis Process

Before the administering the questionnaires and starting the interviews, the employees were informed by the researcher about the purpose of the research. Then the Public Relations Officers were interviewed face to face and via mail. During the interviews, the researcher explained and probed to obtain more detailed information. The data collected from the interview was analysed using thematic statistics where responses were put into themes. Data collected through questionnaires were collated, arranged, coded and computed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Software to achieve the research’s objective.

Credibility and Validity of the Research

The instruments adopted in this study were subjected to face validation by experts who examined them for clarity and to confirm that they could achieve the objectives of the research. The reliability of the research instrument is done to ensure the dependability and consistency of results gathered from the instrument. A pilot study was conducted on 10 percent of the sample size, which was 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. Test-retest reliability method was employed among the 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and the data gathered were analysed using SPSS.

Table 1: Reliability Analysis

The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test conducted at 10% sample size shows 0.851 Cronbach’s Alpha, a very good reliability.

Source: Field Survey 2023

Cronbach’s Alpha if Item Deleted shows the Cronbach’s Alpha value which are all reduced from the original .851 indicating a lesser reliability, hence removing any of the item will reduce reliability at a 10% sample size of 35, therefore none is best removed.

Research Hypothesis

Ho: Effective communication strategies have no influence on rumour management, p = 0.5

Ha: Effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management, p ¹ 0.5

Expected frequency = 69.2 which shows null is true.

Rule: Null is rejected if expected frequencies for the communication strategies are not same.

Table 2 Hypothesis testing

Source: Field study 2023

The table above, Test Statistics, provides the actual result of the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. It can be seen from this table that our test statistic is statistically significant: χ2 (4) = 36.803 for strategy 1, 66.543, 89.231, and 72.006 for other strategies, all at a p < .0005. Therefore, we can reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there are statistically significant differences in the expected frequencies (Expected N), which are the frequencies expected if the null hypothesis is true and not the same for any of the communication strategies. The alternative hypothesis is therefore accepted, and it is concluded that effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The findings of the study were visualized using the tables as presented below.

Table 3: Percentage result for causes of rumour in higher institution

Source: Field Survey, 2023

The results reveal that on anxiety about job and desired promotion as the first cause, 103 individuals 29.8% respondents strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 26.6%, 18.8%, 18.2%, and 6.4%, at a frequency of 92, 65, 63, and 22 disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively on the causal relationship between anxiety and rumour. Hence, the majority 29.8% do not agree that anxiety about the job and desired promotion cause rumours in the institution. This could be because the majority disagree and express disbelief in the rumour mentioned.

In the second cause of lack of regular communication with management, 21.1% of respondents at a frequency of 73 strongly disagree, while 24.9%, 21.1%, 19.9%, and 12.7%, at a frequency of 86, 73, 69, and 44, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Therefore, the majority at 24.9% disagree that lack of regular communication with management leads to rumour.

In the third cause of change of administrative head, 12.7% of respondents at a frequency of 44 strongly disagree that there is a causal relationship, while 31.2%, 27.7%, 23.4%, and 4.0%, at a frequency of 108, 96, 81, and 14,disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 31.2% disagree that the change of administrative head causes rumour in the institution. This could be related to the issue of tenure of office, and the fact different units have autonomous control over their operations which cannot be affected by change in authority.

In the fourth cause of uncertainty about what the newly appointed principal officers and council members might do, 20.2% of respondents with a frequency of 70 strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 25.4%, 29.9%, 18.5%, and 5.5%, with frequencies of 88, 103, 64, and 19, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 29.9% are neutral on whether uncertainty about what the newly anointed principal officers and council members might do tends to cause rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fifth cause on selective promotion exercise, 24.3% of respondents at a frequency of 84 strongly disagree, while 24.6%, 22.8%, 22.8%, and 4.3%, at a frequency of 85, 79, 79, and 15, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively with the causal relationship. It should be observed that there are slight differences between the number who strongly disagree to those who disagree at 0.3%, and there is a tie between the neutral and respondents who agree to selective promotion exercises being a causal factor for rumour. However, the majority 24.6% strongly disagree that selective promotion exercise causes rumour in the institution probably because such procedures are periodic (time-based) and planned for.

Table 4: Frequency and percentage result for channels of rumours

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 4 shows the channels through which rumours start and spread. It is revealed that 20.2% of the respondents at a frequency of 70 affirm that rumours start and spread from the labour union leaders; 26.9% at a frequency of 93 affirm that rumours start and spread from colleagues at work; 30.1% at a frequency of 104 affirm that rumours start and spread from the social media; and 22.8% respondents at a frequency of 79 affirm that the start and spread of rumour come from family and friends. The majority at 30.1% affirm that social media are the main source and channels for spreading rumours. This could be the result of the acknowledgement of social media as being common tools for fake news and propaganda, and the lack of authenticity and verification of most information on social media channels.

Table 5: Effective strategies for managing rumour

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 5 shows the effective strategies for managing rumours in higher institutions. The results reveal that open forum meetings reduce anxiety as the first strategy: 90 respondents which are 26.0% strongly disagree with the strategy, while 11.6%, 13.0%, 27.2%, and 22.3%, at a frequency of 40, 45, 94, and 77, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Respondents who strongly disagree maintain a close margin with those who agree with a difference of 1.2%. Hence, the majority 27.2% agree that open forum meetings reduce anxiety and are an effective management approach to rumour in the institution because credible and vital pieces of information are passed down at such open forum meetings.

The second strategy of press release as a strategy for reducing uncertainty reveals that: 5.5% of respondents at a frequency of 19 strongly disagree, while 23.4%, 18.5%, 32.7%, and 19.9%, at a frequency of 81, 64, 113, 69, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 32.7% agree that press release reduces uncertainty and serves as a good strategy for the management of rumours.

In the third case on the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary, 6.4% of respondents at a frequency of 22 strongly disagree, while 16.8%, 24.6%, 36.7%, and 15.6%, at a frequency of 58, 85, 127, and 54, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 36.7% agree that the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary is a good management strategy for rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fourth strategy of regular reassurance about staff welfare reveals that: 6.9% of respondents at a frequency of 24 strongly disagree probably because such initiatives are usually not result-oriented; while 16.5% disagree, 26.3%, 33.5%, and 16.8%, at a frequency of 57, 91, 116, and 58 are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority at 33.5% agree that regular reassurance about staff welfare is a good strategy to curb rumour in the institution.

Responding to interview questions  on the communication strategies employed by Public Relations Officer to mitigate the spread of rumour and manage its consequences in their institutions, Olofinmuagun (2023), the information Officer for Ekiti State University (EKSU) agreed that it could be difficult to prevent rumours but he insisted that the Public Relations arm of higher institutions must be in constant touch with the Chief Executive Officers since no press statement can be issued without the approval of the latter. This position also agrees with Akinbisoye (2023), the Public Relations and Protocol Officer of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) who submits that Public Relations Officers are obliged to advise the Chief Executive Officers on how to build trust between the management and the employees.  Another strategy that Public Relations practitioners employ in preventing rumour from spreading during an organisational change according to Akinbisoye (2023) is transparency, which is underscored by regular and effective communication with employees about the change initiative. Making a staff of the Public Relations Office the social media watchman, who surveys social media platforms and alerts the management in case of any destructive rumour, is another strategy advocated and employed by Olofinmuagun (2023). In agreement with Difonzo (2016) that effective communication plays a major role in the change process, Akinbisoye (2023) opines that the issuance of official statements in any prevailing situation goes a long way in managing rumour in time of change.

This research aimed to determine the causes of rumour and channels of spreading rumours during change in higher institutions of learning. It also sought to determine effective communication strategies to manage organisational rumours during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State Nigeria. For that reason, employees were served questionnaires and Public Relations Officers were interviewed.

In the research, the employees put forward various reasons rumours spread easily and speedily during organisational change, and popular channels through which rumours spread. On the other hand, Public Relations Officers also unveiled the communication strategies that have been working for their institutions over the years.

Based on the research findings, the following results related to causes of rumours and effective communication strategies for its management were unveiled.

The result of this research shows that causes of rumours include uncertainty about the change in administrative heads, lack of effective communication and transparency. In support of this finding, an interview respondent asserts that people start and spread rumours intentionally when there is a change of leadership to pull down the new government or defame the past administration.

The study also investigates some effective rumour management strategies, which include effective regular communication, press releases on issues that concern all the institution’s stakeholders, release of an official memorandum to explain reasons for any delay in releasing the welfare of the employees. Creating social media surveillance to track down any destructive rumour, and addressing it as soon as it emerges, is a major strategy employed by institutions to manage rumour.

CONCLUSION

In line with its objectives, the study has shown that rumour is part of humans’ social life, and it cannot be done away with in its entirety in society. The study has also demonstrated the causes of rumours in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study has shown that if rumour is well managed, the destructive effect of rumour on any organisation is preventable.

The study establishes that most change initiatives come like rumours at the initial stage, but the rumours are known to become the reality, even when debunked by the institutions when the change is eventually implemented. It can be concluded that management uses rumour to introduce their change initiatives to reduce the noise that the proposed change would cause when it is eventually implemented. Also, if the management is seen not to be transparent enough, the union leaders use rumours to find out the truth by exaggerating the information they have at hand.

Limitations and Recommendations for future Researches

The following limitations were encountered in the course of this study.

This study is only limited to the Ekiti State-owned universities; further studies can be extended to other states in Nigeria.

The union leaders were mostly inaccessible for face-to-face interviews, claiming tight schedules; hence, the researcher resorted to phone interviews.

Based on the findings of the study and the conclusion reached that rumour is a human phenomenon which cannot be totally prevented but can be effectively managed within the context of a management-employee relationship in the period of change, the study recommends the following:

Management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain a good relationship with  their employees and staff union leaders through regular communication. That said, when there is a need for change, it will be easy for employees and union leaders to trust whatever explanation the management gives for the change.

Public Relations Officers who are saddled with the responsibility of image making and laundering for the institutions should be in close contact with management to be able to give proper advice on change communication.

Management through the Public Relations Officers must assign someone as a social media watchman to track down destructive rumours and notify the management without any delay.

Even though this research work is an addition to knowledge in understanding effective rumour management during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, other research can be carried out in other states in Nigeria. This study focuses on state-owned universities, but another research is recommended to be carried out in the privately-owned institutions in the state under study and other states of Nigeria.

REFERENCES

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Impacts of Effective Communication on Managing Rumour During Change in Higher Institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria

¹ Olanike Justinah OLUSOLA, ² Ibikunle Olayiwola AJISAFE (PhD), ³ Omowumi Bukola OLASEINDE (PhD)., ⁴ Goodluck Tamarameiye LAYEFA (PhD)

^1,3 Department of Communication Studies, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere

^2,4 Department of Media and Communication Studies Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.913COM0014

Received: 05 April 2025; Accepted: 09 April 2025; Published: 12 May 2025

ABSTRACT

Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change. Previous studies have focused on rumour management in corporate organisations in the energy, banking and health sectors with little attention on educational institutions. This study, therefore, is designed to identify the causes and channels of rumour and also investigate the strategies of managing them during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State. Uncertainty Reduction Theory is adopted. The study employs survey research design, and two Ekiti State owned universities – Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU), and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) are selected. 350 respondents are selected from both institutions; the two universities’ Public Relations Officers and six union leaders are interviewed. Cases of rumours identified include non-payment of salary, staff disengagement and overstaffing. The causes of rumours found out are lack of regular communication, change in administrative heads and uncertainty. The study further finds out that 104 respondents representing 30.1% of its respondents agree that social media are the channels through which rumour starts and spreads during change, and 113, 32.7% of the respondents agree that effective communication by management during change process is a strategy that can reduce anxiety and uncertainty that may lead to rumour in higher institutions in times of change. The study recommends that management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain good relationship with employees through regular and effective communication especially during times of change.

Keywords: Organisational change, communication, media, union leaders.

INTRODUCTION

Communication is the backbone of human civilisation as it is an expression of information, ideas, cultures, attitudes and other components of the society between two or more persons. Grifin and Patten (1976) in Fatimayin (2018) define communication as “the process of creating meanings as well as ascribing them” (p. 1). Communication also serves as a medium for bringing places and people together. It is also an area of study that deals with the dissemination of messages and broadcasting. Organisations cannot function well without effective communication within units, departments and employees; hence, communication remains a major factor in management function (Fatimayin, 2018).

Rumour-mongering is recognised as a means of social interaction. Allport and Bordia (1947) define rumour as “a specific proposition for belief, passed along from person to person, usually by word of mouth, without secure standards of evidence being present” (p. 250). It can also be called gossip or hearsay. Nevertheless, while rumours are typically about significant subjects, gossip is usually about personal affairs and is employed to convey social customs (Difonzo & Bordia, 2002). Rumour can be news or information which has no factual starting point. Rumour can be found in any society from among individuals, and groups to the masses.  However, gossip is described by Baumeister et.al. (2004), as a potentially powerful and proficient medium of spreading information about the norms, policies and other guiding principles of living in a particular culture.

Rumour has become part of human phenomenon and it is nearly as old as human being. It can therefore not be gotten rid of either within an organisation or the larger society (Li and Zhang, 2015). It is also regarded as unverified information which can be transmitted by word of mouth. Rumour is used as an individual property to gain the attention of the organisational management, especially if all attempts to create proper understanding of what the management of an organisation is doing or planning to do fails. Members of such an organisation, even labour leaders, result into sharing rumours among the staff. Thus, rumours can emerge from this and it can lead to serious crisis if not properly managed.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a pandemic that brought a lot of change to nations socially, emotionally, medically and economically; governments of the Western nations had to set up agencies to manage rumours and help the citizens differentiate between facts and rumours. World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centres for Disease Control took up the responsibility of controlling rumours at the time (Cathy, 2020).

During times of change, employees may feel uncertain and anxious about their future within an institution. This can lead to the spread of rumours, which can be detrimental to the success of any change initiative. Rumour that refers directly to the activities or programmes of an higher institution can pose a risk to the reputation of such institutions. For example, rumour that has to do with the admission of students, health of students as a result of change of cooks or cooking seasonings, and accreditation of major courses can cause a major havoc to the reputation of such educational institutions. Hence, special attention must be given to prevent such a rumour from breaking out. Before the Internet age, rumours spread at a slow pace but now with the advent of Internet-based media networks, and with the popularity that retweeting has gained on social networks, the transmission of a rumour is currently at the speed of light and endemic around the world (Meel &Vishwarkama, 2020). Thus, the proliferation of rumours within higher institutions poses a significant challenge, impacting the academic environment and administrative processes. There have been studies on rumour management in different corporate organisations like energy, banking and health sectors but little attention has been given to educational sector during the times of change. This study investigates the causes and channels of propagating rumours with the ultimate goal of studying the roles of effective communication in the management of rumours in higher education settings. The study used Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) which are the two State Government owned universities in Ekiti State as its case studies. This is because State Government owned institutions are more prone to changes anytime there is change in the leadership of the state than other universities.

Literature Review

Many scholars have defined rumours differently. Floyd Allport, Godon Allport, Leon Festinger, Dorwin Cartwright and John Thibaut are researchers who have researched on rumour in different contexts (Difonzo and Bordia, 2007). One of the earliest researchers on rumour transmission theory is Buckner (1965). Rumour is like communication and it is multi-faceted in nature. Rumour is an informal or official means of communication in any organisation, and it is not to be taken with levity because of both the negative and positive impacts it can have on organisations and society. Clearly, rumour is as old as human existence; however, with the advent of the Internet, rumours have more prevalent and problematic. Arun (2019) asserts that though rumour is old, the emergence of technology has changed the vehicle upon which it travels. Because it is considered special information, rumour has a history of starting and spreading across histories, epochs and human societies (Jia et. al., 2019)

Information from rumour is obtained third hand. Many times, finding the source of a rumour is difficult. All you hear people say are:“Don’t question me on who told me, but have you heard too…?’; and “Don’t say I told you, but did you hear that…?’ Hence, the source of the information cannot be located or identified.

Another generally agreed upon fact about rumour is that, it is unofficial, unverified and unsubstantiated by the authority and there are no evidences to prove that the information (rumour) is authentic. Rumour remains unverified when there is no supporting evidence or there is no “official confirmation from authoritative sources” (Zubiaga et. al., 2018, p. 3). It can also be regarded as ‘hearsay’; yet, some spreaders still believe that rumours have elements of facts underneath. Nekovee et al. (2008) in Meluzin et al. (2021) view rumour as something that contaminates the mind and compare its spread to the equivalent of an epidemic.

Effective communication is the key, if the implementation of any change will be successful. Organisations resort to change management to maximise their advantages and reduce the risks of failing in the change implementation. Every move of change taken by organisations is first resisted because change is seen as a negative thing. Thus, a two-way communication is needed in the process of implementing a change. Communication during a period of change is aimed at motivating, gaining support and achieving success by giving answers to employees’ questions and reducing their anxieties. A successful change process requires a change management communication plan, where an intentional effort is made to communicate with employees and make them believe that the change is a positive process. This will also take away their negative feelings and behaviours about the change (Malek & Yazdanifard, 2012).

According to Waraich and Bhardwaj (2007) in Shaikh (2020), change is defined as “continuous modifications that an organisation or individuals make to deal with adjustments in any matter” (p. 40). Organisational change is therefore defined as a process in which a company, organisation or individual changes its working techniques or aims. The common changes experienced in higher institutions of learning are changes of leadership, changes of school policies, restructuring, changes in school fees, etc. All these can lead to unrest if not properly communicated with the stakeholders. Rumour management is an essential aspect of organisational change.

Uncertainty has been identified as one of the reasons for organisational rumour during change. This is why this study is hanging on the Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT). The theory was propounded by Charles R. Berger and Richard J. Calabrese in 1975, and it focuses on three major areas – first is the reason why we have a feeling of anxiety when we interact with strangers, or when we find ourselves in new situations; second is how to manage the uncertainties we experience when our friends act in unexpected ways; and thirdly the kinds of things that cause us to feel uncertain when we are dealing with other people (Redmond, 2015).

Research Methodology

This research focuses on the roles that effective communication plays in managing rumours during times of change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. For that reason, this study used survey design which enables easy administration of questionnaire to the sampled employees and union leaders of the two universities under study. Face-to-face and phone interviews were employed to gather information from Public Relations Officers and labour union leaders of the two higher institutions chosen for this research. These methods suit the study as they guarantee unbiased, objective and authentic data gathering.

The population of this study includes the total number of employees (and specifically the institutions’ Public Relations Officers). The reason for targeting the above respondents is to ascertain the causes of rumour in higher learning institutions in Ekiti State, especially in a time of change, and to know how effective communication employed by the institutions’ Public Relations Officers can prevent and mitigate its negative eventuality. The Public Relations Officers, from experience, would know the effective communication strategies put in place to manage rumours in the past and the results gained from such management.

Administration of Questionnaire

The sample size for the study was determined by Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula. Proportional sampling size method was employed to select three hundred and fifty (350) employees from both universities. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 210 and 140 respondents from EKSU and BOUESTI respectively (totalling the 350) with a sample interval of 11; 20 as a starting point.  Questionnaires were administered to the 350 employees selected and 346 questionnaires were returned which served as the basis for the research. The questionnaire is divided into five sections. The first section is on demography where respondents identified their gender, rank, educational level and age range. The second section is on the causes of rumour, the third section is on the channels people use to spread rumours in higher institutions, and the fourth section is on the strategies employed to mitigate the spread of rumour in higher institutions in Ekiti State.

Interview Forms

This research adopted a semi-structured interview form based on the related literature used in collecting data during the interviews. Semi-structured interview technique is more flexible and also convenient for data collection as it affords researchers the freedom to ask additional questions so as to get more information about the question asked, Mathers et al. (2000).

Data Collection and Analysis Process

Before the administering the questionnaires and starting the interviews, the employees were informed by the researcher about the purpose of the research. Then the Public Relations Officers were interviewed face to face and via mail. During the interviews, the researcher explained and probed to obtain more detailed information. The data collected from the interview was analysed using thematic statistics where responses were put into themes. Data collected through questionnaires were collated, arranged, coded and computed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Software to achieve the research’s objective.

Credibility and Validity of the Research

The instruments adopted in this study were subjected to face validation by experts who examined them for clarity and to confirm that they could achieve the objectives of the research. The reliability of the research instrument is done to ensure the dependability and consistency of results gathered from the instrument. A pilot study was conducted on 10 percent of the sample size, which was 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. Test-retest reliability method was employed among the 35 workers of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and the data gathered were analysed using SPSS.

Table 1: Reliability Analysis

The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test conducted at 10% sample size shows 0.851 Cronbach’s Alpha, a very good reliability.

Source: Field Survey 2023

Cronbach’s Alpha if Item Deleted shows the Cronbach’s Alpha value which are all reduced from the original .851 indicating a lesser reliability, hence removing any of the item will reduce reliability at a 10% sample size of 35, therefore none is best removed.

Research Hypothesis

Ho: Effective communication strategies have no influence on rumour management, p = 0.5

Ha: Effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management, p ¹ 0.5

Expected frequency = 69.2 which shows null is true.

Rule: Null is rejected if expected frequencies for the communication strategies are not same.

Table 2 Hypothesis testing

Source: Field study 2023

The table above, Test Statistics, provides the actual result of the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. It can be seen from this table that our test statistic is statistically significant: χ2 (4) = 36.803 for strategy 1, 66.543, 89.231, and 72.006 for other strategies, all at a p < .0005. Therefore, we can reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there are statistically significant differences in the expected frequencies (Expected N), which are the frequencies expected if the null hypothesis is true and not the same for any of the communication strategies. The alternative hypothesis is therefore accepted, and it is concluded that effective communication strategies have influence on rumour management.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The findings of the study were visualized using the tables as presented below.

Table 3: Percentage result for causes of rumour in higher institution

Source: Field Survey, 2023

The results reveal that on anxiety about job and desired promotion as the first cause, 103 individuals 29.8% respondents strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 26.6%, 18.8%, 18.2%, and 6.4%, at a frequency of 92, 65, 63, and 22 disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively on the causal relationship between anxiety and rumour. Hence, the majority 29.8% do not agree that anxiety about the job and desired promotion cause rumours in the institution. This could be because the majority disagree and express disbelief in the rumour mentioned.

In the second cause of lack of regular communication with management, 21.1% of respondents at a frequency of 73 strongly disagree, while 24.9%, 21.1%, 19.9%, and 12.7%, at a frequency of 86, 73, 69, and 44, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Therefore, the majority at 24.9% disagree that lack of regular communication with management leads to rumour.

In the third cause of change of administrative head, 12.7% of respondents at a frequency of 44 strongly disagree that there is a causal relationship, while 31.2%, 27.7%, 23.4%, and 4.0%, at a frequency of 108, 96, 81, and 14,disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 31.2% disagree that the change of administrative head causes rumour in the institution. This could be related to the issue of tenure of office, and the fact different units have autonomous control over their operations which cannot be affected by change in authority.

In the fourth cause of uncertainty about what the newly appointed principal officers and council members might do, 20.2% of respondents with a frequency of 70 strongly disagree with the causal relationship, while 25.4%, 29.9%, 18.5%, and 5.5%, with frequencies of 88, 103, 64, and 19, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 29.9% are neutral on whether uncertainty about what the newly anointed principal officers and council members might do tends to cause rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fifth cause on selective promotion exercise, 24.3% of respondents at a frequency of 84 strongly disagree, while 24.6%, 22.8%, 22.8%, and 4.3%, at a frequency of 85, 79, 79, and 15, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively with the causal relationship. It should be observed that there are slight differences between the number who strongly disagree to those who disagree at 0.3%, and there is a tie between the neutral and respondents who agree to selective promotion exercises being a causal factor for rumour. However, the majority 24.6% strongly disagree that selective promotion exercise causes rumour in the institution probably because such procedures are periodic (time-based) and planned for.

Table 4: Frequency and percentage result for channels of rumours

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 4 shows the channels through which rumours start and spread. It is revealed that 20.2% of the respondents at a frequency of 70 affirm that rumours start and spread from the labour union leaders; 26.9% at a frequency of 93 affirm that rumours start and spread from colleagues at work; 30.1% at a frequency of 104 affirm that rumours start and spread from the social media; and 22.8% respondents at a frequency of 79 affirm that the start and spread of rumour come from family and friends. The majority at 30.1% affirm that social media are the main source and channels for spreading rumours. This could be the result of the acknowledgement of social media as being common tools for fake news and propaganda, and the lack of authenticity and verification of most information on social media channels.

Table 5: Effective strategies for managing rumour

Source: Field Survey, 2023

Table 5 shows the effective strategies for managing rumours in higher institutions. The results reveal that open forum meetings reduce anxiety as the first strategy: 90 respondents which are 26.0% strongly disagree with the strategy, while 11.6%, 13.0%, 27.2%, and 22.3%, at a frequency of 40, 45, 94, and 77, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Respondents who strongly disagree maintain a close margin with those who agree with a difference of 1.2%. Hence, the majority 27.2% agree that open forum meetings reduce anxiety and are an effective management approach to rumour in the institution because credible and vital pieces of information are passed down at such open forum meetings.

The second strategy of press release as a strategy for reducing uncertainty reveals that: 5.5% of respondents at a frequency of 19 strongly disagree, while 23.4%, 18.5%, 32.7%, and 19.9%, at a frequency of 81, 64, 113, 69, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 32.7% agree that press release reduces uncertainty and serves as a good strategy for the management of rumours.

In the third case on the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary, 6.4% of respondents at a frequency of 22 strongly disagree, while 16.8%, 24.6%, 36.7%, and 15.6%, at a frequency of 58, 85, 127, and 54, disagree, are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority 36.7% agree that the release of an internal memorandum on payment of salary is a good management strategy for rumour in the institution.

Lastly, the fourth strategy of regular reassurance about staff welfare reveals that: 6.9% of respondents at a frequency of 24 strongly disagree probably because such initiatives are usually not result-oriented; while 16.5% disagree, 26.3%, 33.5%, and 16.8%, at a frequency of 57, 91, 116, and 58 are neutral, agree, and strongly agree respectively. Hence, the majority at 33.5% agree that regular reassurance about staff welfare is a good strategy to curb rumour in the institution.

Responding to interview questions  on the communication strategies employed by Public Relations Officer to mitigate the spread of rumour and manage its consequences in their institutions, Olofinmuagun (2023), the information Officer for Ekiti State University (EKSU) agreed that it could be difficult to prevent rumours but he insisted that the Public Relations arm of higher institutions must be in constant touch with the Chief Executive Officers since no press statement can be issued without the approval of the latter. This position also agrees with Akinbisoye (2023), the Public Relations and Protocol Officer of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI) who submits that Public Relations Officers are obliged to advise the Chief Executive Officers on how to build trust between the management and the employees.  Another strategy that Public Relations practitioners employ in preventing rumour from spreading during an organisational change according to Akinbisoye (2023) is transparency, which is underscored by regular and effective communication with employees about the change initiative. Making a staff of the Public Relations Office the social media watchman, who surveys social media platforms and alerts the management in case of any destructive rumour, is another strategy advocated and employed by Olofinmuagun (2023). In agreement with Difonzo (2016) that effective communication plays a major role in the change process, Akinbisoye (2023) opines that the issuance of official statements in any prevailing situation goes a long way in managing rumour in time of change.

This research aimed to determine the causes of rumour and channels of spreading rumours during change in higher institutions of learning. It also sought to determine effective communication strategies to manage organisational rumours during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State Nigeria. For that reason, employees were served questionnaires and Public Relations Officers were interviewed.

In the research, the employees put forward various reasons rumours spread easily and speedily during organisational change, and popular channels through which rumours spread. On the other hand, Public Relations Officers also unveiled the communication strategies that have been working for their institutions over the years.

Based on the research findings, the following results related to causes of rumours and effective communication strategies for its management were unveiled.

The result of this research shows that causes of rumours include uncertainty about the change in administrative heads, lack of effective communication and transparency. In support of this finding, an interview respondent asserts that people start and spread rumours intentionally when there is a change of leadership to pull down the new government or defame the past administration.

The study also investigates some effective rumour management strategies, which include effective regular communication, press releases on issues that concern all the institution’s stakeholders, release of an official memorandum to explain reasons for any delay in releasing the welfare of the employees. Creating social media surveillance to track down any destructive rumour, and addressing it as soon as it emerges, is a major strategy employed by institutions to manage rumour.

CONCLUSION

In line with its objectives, the study has shown that rumour is part of humans’ social life, and it cannot be done away with in its entirety in society. The study has also demonstrated the causes of rumours in higher institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study has shown that if rumour is well managed, the destructive effect of rumour on any organisation is preventable.

The study establishes that most change initiatives come like rumours at the initial stage, but the rumours are known to become the reality, even when debunked by the institutions when the change is eventually implemented. It can be concluded that management uses rumour to introduce their change initiatives to reduce the noise that the proposed change would cause when it is eventually implemented. Also, if the management is seen not to be transparent enough, the union leaders use rumours to find out the truth by exaggerating the information they have at hand.

Limitations and Recommendations for future Researches

The following limitations were encountered in the course of this study.

This study is only limited to the Ekiti State-owned universities; further studies can be extended to other states in Nigeria.

The union leaders were mostly inaccessible for face-to-face interviews, claiming tight schedules; hence, the researcher resorted to phone interviews.

Based on the findings of the study and the conclusion reached that rumour is a human phenomenon which cannot be totally prevented but can be effectively managed within the context of a management-employee relationship in the period of change, the study recommends the following:

Management of higher institutions should learn how to be transparent and maintain a good relationship with  their employees and staff union leaders through regular communication. That said, when there is a need for change, it will be easy for employees and union leaders to trust whatever explanation the management gives for the change.

Public Relations Officers who are saddled with the responsibility of image making and laundering for the institutions should be in close contact with management to be able to give proper advice on change communication.

Management through the Public Relations Officers must assign someone as a social media watchman to track down destructive rumours and notify the management without any delay.

Even though this research work is an addition to knowledge in understanding effective rumour management during change in higher institutions in Ekiti State, other research can be carried out in other states in Nigeria. This study focuses on state-owned universities, but another research is recommended to be carried out in the privately-owned institutions in the state under study and other states of Nigeria.

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