TRUST AND EMPLOYEES’ CREATIVITY IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT-OWNED UNIVERSITIES IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between trust and employee creativity. The study involved 354 randomly selected academic staff members, including both teaching and non-teaching personnel, from five Federal Government-owned universities in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Utilising a quasi-experimental research design, data were collected through a cross-sectional survey. Analysis was con-ducted using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient in SPSS Version 25. The results re-vealed a positive and significant correlation between trust and employee creativity in Nigerian universi-ties. Specifically, all dimensions of trust—competence-based, openness-based, reliability-based, and con-sistency-based—positively and significantly influenced various aspects of employee creativity, including expertise, creative thinking skills, and intrinsic task motivation. Based on these findings, the study con-cludes that trust facilitates employee creativity in Nigerian universities, with competence-based, openness-based, reliability-based, and consistency-based trust playing crucial roles in enhancing expertise, creative thinking skills, and intrinsic task motivation. Consequently, it is recommended that the management of Nigerian universities prioritise and cultivate trust within the work environment to foster employee creativi-ty, thereby promoting expertise, creative thinking skills, and intrinsic task motivation. Additionally, the study discusses the theoretical and practical implications for enhancing trust and employee creativity with-in the Nigerian university system.