Don shows impact of investment on employee innovation
Dr. Hyacinth Nwachukwu, a don and literary writer maps out the surest routes to employee innovation in the manufacturing industry in a new book. Okey Osuji offers review
It is not every time that people get the opportunity to read well-researched academic dissertations of post-graduate students in fulfillment of a doctoral degree (PhD). Even at that, not many scholars or captains of industry are likely to be privileged with such indepth information and other analytical insights that inform the conclusions of the dissertations as to what, for long, has been responsible for a firm becoming highly competitive and successful than others within the same industry.
Such rare analyses and insights are what Dr. Hyacinth Nwachukwu’s research has exposed in his seminal book, ‘The Impact of Organisational Capital Investment on Employee Innovations in the Manufacturing Industry’.
The 67-page book has five (5) chapters. As expected, each chapter is an excursion into theoretical and analytical framework, which takes the reader through the qualitative research method, including participants and works of other scholars, and experts that enabled the author to establish an unassailable nexus between capital investment and employees innovation.
In the book, Nwachukwu consulted other notable research works to buttress the fact that the capacity of a firm to innovate, both in human and organisational capital investment (i.e. plant, machinery and equipment), is a fundamental process towards the attainment of competitive advantage and economies of scale over other competitors within the same industry.
To establish and shed more light on how organisations identify and create the appropriate capital investment and work environment conducive for employee innovation, he identified and interviewed 16 professional engineers and managers from Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
In establishing the veracity of his argument, he ensured that each participant in the research work was at least 25 years and above with a minimum of five (5) years on the job experience, including a high school education.
Employing the qualitative research method, as a source for data collection, including appropriate research design, Nwachukwu was able to generate enough information that were analysed to arrive at his research conclusion. The interesting findings are that employees are the major element in any business organisation, imbued with the capacity to maintain organisational competitiveness and generate the required revenue.
However, it stands to reason that technology alone has no inherent value in relation to the impact of organisational capital investments on employee innovation unless when combined with such factors of production as marketing and sales, financials, and production operational models.
Given that the research devoted more attention to manufacturing, the author posited that as companies in this sector face stiff foreign and domestic regulatory threats, they are exposed to brand imitations resulting from weak regulatory laws. Hence, he recommends that a strategic management tool, such as SWOT analysis or TQM be employed to stay ahead of competition.
In addition, the research found that organisational capital investment in relation to employee innovation could create values for the business by helping to transform, and enhance employee creative ideas that lead to their innovativeness. Overall, the research advised manufacturing companies to continuously embrace capital investment and improvement programmes while investing in their employees.
On a balance, Nwachukwu’s dissertation is a well-researched work, in view of the avalanche of sources. In all, the research findings would be of help to industries still seeking for ways of motivating their workforce and improve the balance sheet.
Definitely, the dissertation is a necessary read for any post-graduate student, especially, those preparing for higher degrees in business management and industrial relations.
Most importantly, I recommend the book to universities, polytechnics, research institutions, corporate organisations, professional bodies, libraries and all those in quest of knowledge in our rapidly globalising world.
