Revisiting Innovation Typologies among Agro-food Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) in a Developing Country (Published)
Innovation has been identified as an enhancer of competitiveness of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, a growing body of scholarly research demonstrate the that organisations stand to gain competitive advantage if they combine the right mix of culturally embedded innovative and knowledge sharing practices. Despite the vast amount of studies that have spawned concerning innovation in SMEs, very few have been done among Agro-food SMEs in developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Nigeria. Given the importance of the agri-food sector, particularly with respect to the many SMEs in developing countries, this study considers it fruitful to identify the typologies of innovation of such firms in Nigeria, in order for them to compete in world markets. Moreover, this study draws its relevance from the fact that agri-SMEs in Nigeria still lag behind those in developed countries in terms of innovation. Based on the reviewed literature, this study advances two conceptual frameworks for further studies on Agro-food SMEs in developing countries, viz: (i) the relationship between culturally-embedded innovation and competitiveness (ii) the relationship between knowledge-based innovation and competitiveness.
Keywords: Agro-food SMEs, Competitiveness, Knowledge Sharing, Organisational Culture, Organisational innovation
Organisational Culture: A Catalyst For Employee Engagement in the Ghanaian Public Sector (Published)
Given that public sector organisations have a mandate to advance the greater public good, makes hiring and retaining highly engaged employees critical to their success. Understanding, therefore, the conditions under which individuals would actively engage through the influence of organisational culture, is highly relevant for both employees and employers. The focus of this study was to determine whether culture affects three dimensions (Cognitive, affective and physical)of engagement in the public sector in order to encourage high levels of engagement within the sector.Though more research has been done in this area, most have looked at other engagement dimensions other than the cognitive, physical and emotional, and especially, in the Ghanaian public sector. The study adopted a descriptive approach. Questionnaires were used to gather data from 192 respondents who were selected based on convenience. With the help of a linear regression, the findings of the study showed a statistically positive effect of organisational culture on all three dimensions of engagement: cognitive engagement (β=.489, F statistic= 59.746, sig. value=.000); affective engagement (β=.397, F statistic= 35.474, sig. value =.000); behavioural engagement (β=.512, F statistic=67.418, sig. value =.000). It was therefore recommended that management must make Employee engagement strategic; instil a sense of belongingness and ownership in public sector employees, by clearly defining and ensuring a favourable corporate culture and emphasising assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members to assist in imporoving their collaboration with the mission, values and goals of the organisation.
Keywords: Affective Engagement, Behavioural Engagement, Cognitive Engagement, Organisational Culture