INFLUENCE OF COACHING AND TRAINING ON EMPLOYEE INNOVATIVENESS: EVIDENCE FROM WATER PRODUCING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

In today’s dynamic business environment, employee innovativeness has emerged as a critical determinant of organizational competitiveness and sustainability, particularly in sectors characterized by operational volatility and resource constraints. This study investigated the influence of coaching and training on employee innovativeness in water producing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational research design involving 238 employees drawn from nine registered water producing firms. Data were collected using a structured, validated questionnaire, and analysed through simple linear regression and ANOVA techniques. Findings reveal that coaching exerts a moderate to strong positive influence on employee innovativeness, accounting for 45.3% of the variance in innovative behaviour. Training, while also significant, demonstrated a lower predictive strength, explaining 32.1% of the variance (R = 0.567; p < 0.001). The study recommended that management should formally integrate coaching into onboarding and continuous development programs. This should include training supervisors and team leads to act as internal coaches, focusing on nurturing creativity, problem-solving, and proactive behaviour among staff and training interventions should move beyond routine task instruction and incorporate modules that promote creative thinking, design thinking, and adaptive problem-solving. Interactive methods such as simulations, group projects, and real-life case studies should be adopted to enhance engagement and innovative outcomes.