On the link between human capital, innovation and performance: evidence from a resource-based economy

Abstract

The study measured the relationship between human capital, innovation and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria. The sample size was 150 purposively selected companies. The response rate was 70.6%. Knowledge-capital theory was explored in this study. Primary and secondary data sources were used for the study. Econometrics technique was used to determine the relationship among the variables. From the study, it is observed that all the indicators of human capital in the mining industry are important in determining the outcome of innovations in the industry. It was also observed that all the indicators of human capital are important in determining the productivity in the industry as well. A new knowledge advanced in this study is that there is just a thin line between process innovation and organisational innovation. In conclusion, the study identified a linear relationship between human capital, innovation prevalence and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria.