Effect of Information Utilization on Decision-Making by Senior Managers : A Case Study

Abstract

Access to and utilization of information is vital for the effective management of modern organisations for competitive edge. While many Nigerian government establishments have continued to invest on information systems and technologies little is known on the effect of such systems on the organisation. The study therefore, investigated the effects of information utilisation on decision-making of senior managers in two federal government establishments in Abuja, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study; the questionnaire was the instrument used while the managers in two selected federal government establishments in Abuja constituted the population for the study and the simple random sampling technique was made use of. Out of the two hundred (200) copies of questionnaire distributed in the two federal government establishments, one hundred and fifty-seven (78.5%) were returned with valid responses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic, specifically frequencies, mean, cross tabulation as well as percentages and standard deviation. The findings revealed that 115 (73.2%) use information at least weekly, administrative information and planning, monitoring and evaluation information were the most frequently information utilized by managers for decision making. 148(94.3%) agreed that information enhances effective decision-making, 118(75.1%) managers agreed that the major challenge was the scarcity of factual information The on-site assessment revealed that a very high number of senior managers do not visit the library, one of the establishments did not have a library as at when this study was carried out. On the overall, it was revealed that the managers faced challenges in the use of information to support decision making. The study recommends that government/organization should establish an information center and stock it with relevant resources in all Federal Government Establishments to equip the senior managers and all staff with quality information to enhance their decision making effectiveness.