Innovative Efforts and Employees’ Involvement in Food and Beverage Companies in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the extent of manpower utilisation and innovative efforts in food and beverage companies in Southwestern Nigeria. Using a quantitative research approach, 229 employees of food and beverage companies were selected as respondents for the survey through random and snowballing sampling techniques. The study measurement model was assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and a structural equation model was subsequently estimated. Results show that only respondents’ career-skills utilisation (β = 0.235; p<0.01) contribute positively to innovative efforts of employees, while job satisfaction (β = -0.251; p<0.01) and willingness to adopt new technologies and responsibilities (β = -0.148; p<0.05) have a negative influence on innovation capabilities of the employees. The study concludes that the level of employees’ innovativeness is premised on the progress made in their professional career and level of skills utilisation in their present jobs.