Gender Effect of Simplex and Apcaw Strategy in Fostering Business Creativity Competence of Managers in Selected ICT Companies in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the gender effect of SIMPLEX and Akinboye Practical
Creativity at Work (APCAW) strategy in fostering business creativity
competence of managers in Information Communication and Technology
industry (ICT) in Lagos. The study adopted the pre-test, post-test, control
group, experimental design using a 3x3x2 factorial design matrix. A sample
of 126 managers drawn from three (ICT) companies was used for the study.
The Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden (1998) emotional
Intelligence Assessment Scale was used to select and categorize subjects
on levels of emotional intelligence based on their scores on the scale. Each
group consists of 42 subjects (21 male and 21 female managers). The
experimental groups were exposed to six weeks of business creativity
training while the control group was given training not related to creativity.
The business creativity competence of managers were measured using
Ibadan Creativity Assessment Scale (ICAS).Three hypotheses were tested
and the data were analyzed using Analysis of Co-variance (ANCOVA). Findings from the study revealed that treated participants’ were significantly
superior to control on business creativity competence (F(2,107)=27.325;p<0.01).
Findings also showed that there were no significant effects of gender (F(2,107)
=.351;>0.05); and no significant two-way interaction effect of treatment
and gender (F(2,107)=.256;P>0.05) on participants’ business creativity
competence. Based on the result of the study, it was therefore recommended
that SIMPLEX and APCAW strategy could be used to foster the business
creativity competence of managers irrespective of gender.