IIARD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (IJEBM )

E-ISSN 2489-0065
P-ISSN 2695-186X
VOL. 11 NO. 6 2025
DOI: 10.56201/ijebm.vol.11.no6.2025.pg15.32


Leadership Capability and Process Innovation Among Nigeria’s Food and Beverage Manufacturers

OgagaOghene, Joshua O, Yalokwu, PatrickO, Omankhanlen, Ehimare A


Abstract


Underutilised capacity remains a significant challenge in Nigeria’s food and beverage sector despite the growing market for processed food and beverage products, which is indicative of a lack of process optimisation and a need for process innovation. This study examined the influence of leadership capability on process innovation. Survey research design with a sample of 353 managers drawn from six quoted companies was employed. The validated questionnaire was administered using proportional and simple random sampling techniques and the response rate was 61.19%. The PLS-SEM analysed data indicate that leadership capability has a positive and significant influence on process innovation (? = 0.871, R2 = 0.758, t-statistic = 38.790, and p-value = 0.000) The study recommended that leader-managers at all levels should grow and strengthen their leadership skills by establishing guidelines, strategically create work groups, and demonstrate leadership support.


keywords:

Food and beverage manufacturing, Innovation performance, Leadership




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