Assessing the Impact of Organisational Learning and Emotional Intelligence on Innovative Performance of Civil Servants in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The level of innovation within the Nigerian public sector remains very low despite increasing demand in the efficient governance and digital services. Recent administrative assessments indicated that over 62% of the public institutions are still resorting to routine bureaucracy and only a quarter of civil servants believe that they have the ability to introduce new ideas or solutions to policy and service problems. Despite public sector reforms, little empirical attention has been given to how organisational learning and emotional intelligence can stimulate innovative performance among civil servants. The participants of the study included the staff of the Ministry of Education of Ogun State, the Ministry of Health of Ogun State, and the Ministry of Finance of Ogun State.  The study was anchored on the Human Capital Theory and adopted a quantitative method with an explanatory research design. The population consisted of 1,540 civil servants across the three ministries in Ogun State, from which 306 respondents were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analysed using structural and measurement models (SEM-Partial Least Square, version 4.0). The findings revealed that innovative performance was improved through organisational learning which enhanced the ability to share knowledge, problem-solving and constant skill development (β = 0.217, t = 3.964, p < 0.001).  The study also established that emotional intelligence assisted employees to deal with pressure and work effectively with others as well as to develop innovative ways of handling problems, a factor that saw a rise in innovative work behaviour by 53% in departments that encouraged learning practices.  The paper concluded that innovation within the civil service of Nigeria requires a robust learning culture and the development of emotional-intelligence to enhance innovation. The study recommended that government institutions should initiate planned organisational-learning programmes, train civil servants in emotional-intelligence, and establish knowledge-sharing platforms within ministries.