EMPLOYEE CREATIVITY AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF HOTELS IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

OWHORJI, Sunday
Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences
Rivers State University
Sunday.owhorji@ust.edu.ng
OLOMI, Progress Ovunda
Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences
Rivers State University.
progressolomi@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between employee creativity and competitive
advantage of hotels Port Harcourt. The study focused on employee creativity as the predictor variable and
competitive advantage in terms of differentiation and innovation, as the criterion variable. The study
adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study comprise six 5-Star star hotels in Port
Harcourt, with a huge working space, connectivity and strong financial base. The study collected primary
data using structured questionnaire, and analyzed same using the independent t-test. The result of the
study showed that there is a positive and statistically significant association between employee creativity
and competitive advantage. The study concludes that organizations with creative employees have higher
chances of achieving an edge over competitors. The study therefore recommends that management of
hotels in Port Harcourt, should consider employee creativity as strategy for gaining competitive
advantage.
Keywords: Employee creativity, competitive advantage, differentiation, innovation