Innovative Management Behaviour versus Enemies of Innovation in the Nigerian Public Service
Chuks P. Maduabum
Abstract
Innovative Management Behaviour, we aver, is a sure strategy for ensuring survival and growth of organizations
particularly in a turbulent environment. Whereas efforts are geared through Research and Development as well
as training in whatever form to acquire such innovative skills and ideas, application of such skills and ideas are
sometimes resisted vehemently by those who we christened “enemies of innovation”. And these abound in the
Nigerian Public Service. As a consequence, the innovator is frustrated and tends to resort to either the status quo
ante/or, in extreme cases, an exit option. Either way, the action leads to loss of productivity to the organization.
This may have accounted for non-improvement of the Nigerian Public Service despite the several reform exercises
it had undergone. To ameliorate the situation, this article canvases an exposure of other colleagues particularly
superior officers to similar experiences as their innovative subordinates. In addition, the article suggests that the
innovator could adopt a strategy of patience, perseverance, persuasion and tact to convince his resistant superior
officers as this may enhance pushing through the innovative ideas for applicability, thereby ensuring systems
improvement particularly in the Nigerian Public Service.
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