Node between firm’s knowledge-intensive activities and their propensity to innovate : insights from Nigeria’s Mining Industry

Abstract: While studies have examined the nexus between knowledge and innovative performance, literatures from developing country context are very scant. The study thus examines which knowledge-intensive activities influence the propensity of the mining firms in Nigeria to implement either product innovation, process innovation or both kinds of innovations. The study explored 106 purposively selected mining firms in Nigeria to check the effect of knowledge on the prevalence of innovation in the industry. Using a of questionnaire administered to the chief executive officers/most senior managers of the firms, the study identified six main knowledge indicators for the mining industry which were regressed against indicators of technological innovations. The study found out that while R&D activities were important for product innovation, acquisition of machinery, equipment, hardware or software were the principal drivers of process innovation. The knowledge-based activities common to both innovation types were acquisition of external knowledge/technologies, learning, knowledge exchange & training as well as other activities like feasibility study, market research, continuous improvement, business process re-engineering, tooling-up, routine software upgrade, amongst others. The study concludes that certain knowledge-intensive activities were important for different kinds of innovations in the firms