Intergenerational Workplace Dynamics and Organisational Performance: The Role of Reverse Mentoring in Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited

The effect of intergenerational workplace relationship on organizational performance was the focus of this study, with the effect of intergenerational workplace relationship on organizational performance explored through the two organic aspects (Management of communication style differences and technological adaptation) as well as the role of reverse mentoring on operational efficiency of employees of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), Abuja, Nigeria. The design of the study was cross sectional. All 2,813 employees were sampled and 350 employees were selected as representative sample by Taro Yamane's sampling method. 231 questionnaires were analysed and usable. A standardised instrument and validated measurement scales were used to collect information: Multi Factor Leadership Questionanre (MLQ-5X; Bass & Avolio, 2004), Psychologic Safety (Edmondson, 1999) and Resistance To Change (Oreg, 2003), all of which were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Analytical techniques were confirmatory factor analysis, multiple linear regression and mediation analysis with bootstrapping. The results showed that transformational leadership was negatively correlated with organisational change resistance among employees of the organisations, and positively correlated with employees' psychological safety. In the integrated model, both transformational leadership and psychological safety were argued to be important to employee resistance to organisational change. Psychological safety was partially mediated in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee resistance to organisational change. The direct path was significant both with and without the mediator, suggesting that transformational leadership has a direct effect as well as an indirect effect on employee resistance via mediator. The results suggest that transformational leadership tends to be inversely related to resistance to organisational change, directly, as well as indirectly, via the mediation of employees' psychological safety. Local government leaders need to invest in leadership development initiatives that create an idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and institutionalize policies to safeguard interpersonal risk taking and promote constructive voice throughout the process of enacting reform.