ETHICAL LEADERSHP AND EMPLOYEES INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR IN SELECTED TERTIARY INSTTUTION IN NIGERIA.

The study examined effect of ethical leadership on employees’ innovative work behavior in selected tertiary institution in Nigeria. As it affects employee innovativeness. The study used survey research design. The population of the study was 953, with a sample size of 282. determined scientifically using Taro Yamane formula. The research employed purposive and simple Random sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and regression analysis was adopted to test the postulated hypotheses using SPSS version 21. The study findings revealed that Ethical leadership has positive significant effect on employees’ creativity of selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The findings also indicates that ethical leadership had positive significant effect on idea fluency of selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study concludes that ethical leadership have positive significant effect on employee innovative work behavior in selected tertiary institution in Nigeria. The study recommends that Management of tertiary institutions should stress on ethical guidance, fairness, integrity, justice, responsibility and accountability, role modeling and support people orientation, to promote innovation (creativity) through ethical leadership. Tertiary institutions should adopt ethical leadership training programs to assist ethical leaders in communicating their openness and acceptance of employees’ innovative ideas, recognizing and appreciating employees’ creative and innovative work behavior, and to avoid potential control effect of excessive ethical leadership on employee initiative and creativity.