Assessing Risk-Aware Culture in Philippine Private Higher Education: A Quantitative Case Study

Despite the widespread adoption of enterprise risk management (ERM) frameworks, empirical evidence on how risk-aware culture manifests in Philippine private higher education institutions (PHEIs) remains limited. This study examined the extent of risk-aware culture and whether perceptions differ across demographic and organisational groups. Data from 212 respondents were gathered with the use of a quantitative descriptive-comparative design for analysis through seven dimensions (leadership and commitment, governance structures, communication, training and education, resources, regulatory pressures, and external pressures) for which risk aware culture was measured. Data analysis involved both descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) which indicated that the level of risk awareness was generally well developed in relation to all seven dimensions. Regulatory pressures and leadership commitment emerged as the two most significant factors in terms of driving the development of risk-aware culture. Overall, however, there were a number of statistically significant differences in relation to the perception of risk-aware culture based on years of service and role within the organisation, particularly in relation to resources allocated for risks and external pressures. The results highlight the need for organisations to strengthen organisational alignment of resources and external risk drivers to improve their resilience and organisational performance. This research provides an empirical evidence-base which is both context-specific and will serve as a resource for institutional leaders who want to develop a more ingrained and equitable risk culture throughout their organisations.