Creativity and Innovation

In the current competitive climate, higher education institutions (HEIs) must embrace innovation to flourish and grow. The active participation of academic staff is crucial for innovation to occur. Therefore, examining personal attributes such as employee resilience and emotional intelligence, along with workplace factors like job autonomy, is vital. These elements contribute to innovative practices and, subsequently, academic excellence. The research suggests that employee creativity serves as a mediating factor, linking these elements to innovation, and represents another significant influence in the process. This study extends previous studies by utilizing a structural equation model to examine various influences collectively. Data were gathered from 307 academic staff members at federal and state universities in South-Western Nigeria. The proposed hypotheses were empirically tested using SmartPLS4. Results indicated that employee resilience, emotional intelligence, and job autonomy had significant positive direct effects on employee innovation. Furthermore, the analysis of mediating effects revealed that employee resilience and job autonomy indirectly enhanced employee innovation through employee creativity. These insights provide universities with a strategic approach to boost faculty innovation. Limitations of the study and directions for further research are also stated.