Attributes Influencing Effectiveness of Employees’ Innovation in Telecommunication Industry in Tanzania

Abstract

This study aimed at examining attributes influencing the effectiveness of employees’ innovation in telecommunication industry in Tanzania using Tigo as a reference. Specifically, the study focused on the assessment of the influence of personal competence, leadership styles, technology and financial resources on employees’ innovation in terms of the number of employees’ creative ideas and projects turned into innovation. The study employed a cross-sectional survey strategy to collect data from a sample of 78 employees and open- ended questionnaires to collect additional information from 5 key informants who were senior members of Tigo, Tanzania. Descriptive statistics and Multiple Linear Regression were used to analyse data and test formulated hypotheses respectively. The findings show that leadership styles and technology strongly influence employees’ innovation in Telecommunication Companies. The study findings imply that it is very crucial for human resource directors to motivate staff to make them innovative. Also, ICT, research and development departments should be given more budgets and intensive trainings in order to build employees’ innovative capacity. Therefore, it is recommended that technology and leadership style should be seriously considered by company’s management when making strategies and plans for innovative growth in an organization particularly Telecommunication Industry.