THE ART OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN OIL AND GAS CONTRACTS: THE CASE OF OMAN

THE ART OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN OIL AND GAS CONTRACTS: THE CASE OF OMAN
Hafidh Al Naamani, Modern Collage of Business & Administrations, Oman

(Presented at the International Conference on Research in Education and Science (ICRES) which took place on April 27-30, 2024, in Antalya, TURKEY (https://www.2024.icres.net/) and at the International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (ICEMST) (https://www.2024.icemst.com/) organized by the International Society for Technology, Education and Science (ISTES) http://www.istes.org).

This study aims to explore – from the perspectives of employees, and stakeholders in a leading oil and gas industry in Oman- the extent to which the contract agreement and practices of risk management improve the change management process in contracts. A pragmatic philosophy underpins the research design of the study. A mixed methods case study approach involving surveys administered to 32 employees at the case organization was used for data collection. The survey includes nine questions aiming to collect quantitative data. Additionally, the survey ends with open-ended questions aiming at collecting qualitative data and identifying thematic patterns that reflect participants’ experiences concerning the practices of change management in contracts. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis of the quantitative component. The findings suggest that contract agreement, proactive risk management, and the usage of technology in contract management improve the change management process in contracts in the organization, Although the study is localized in one oil and gas industry in Oman which may jeopardize the generalizability of the findings, it will open a new horizon of research in this field to validate the results in similar locations. The study provides insights, via the quantitative findings and participant's voices, on how effective contract agreements, proactive risk assessment and usage of technologies in contracts will improve the change management process. It spotlights the critical role of integrating clear contractual agreements, using technologies, and proactive risk management to improve the change management process in contracts. The insights gained from this study are useful to industry professionals in the oil and gas sector, including managers, contract specialists, and risk management strategists.