EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS ON ORGANISATIONAL LEADERSHIP OF BOTTLING COMPANIES IN PORT HARCOURT

Abstract

This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial skills on organisational leadership in bottling companies in Port Harcourt, with market dynamics as a moderating variable. Entrepreneurial skills—opportunity recognition, innovativeness, and risk management—were assessed against leadership measures of visionary leadership, employee motivation, and strategic decision-making. A descriptive survey design targeted 133 managerial and supervisory staff, selected via stratified random sampling. Data collected through structured questionnaires demonstrated high reliability (α > 0.80) and were analysed using hierarchical regression. Descriptive findings indicated moderate strengths in innovativeness (66–69%) and employee motivation (68–70%), but lower levels for opportunity recognition (63–65%) and strategic decision-making (63–65%). None of the core entrepreneurial skill dimensions reached the 70% benchmark, highlighting the need for capacity development. The hierarchical regression analysis revealed strong, significant relationships between all entrepreneurial skill dimensions and leadership outcomes (β = 0.467–0.552, p < 0.01). Opportunity recognition positively influenced visionary leadership (β = 0.512), employee motivation (β = 0.476), and strategic decision-making (β = 0.498). Innovativeness recorded the highest effects, particularly on employee motivation (β = 0.552), while risk management significantly strengthened all leadership measures. These findings align with prior studies, confirming that entrepreneurial skills are critical drivers of leadership effectiveness in competitive manufacturing environments. Moderation analysis showed that market dynamics enhanced the entrepreneurial skills–leadership relationship. Competitive pressures (βinteraction = 0.198), environmental changes (βinteraction = 0.214), and strategic renewal (βinteraction = 0.223) all had significant effects (p < 0.05), with strategic renewal exhibiting the strongest influence. This supports Bingham & Eisenhardt (2008) and Gborogbosi & Onuoha (2024), who emphasised the role of adaptive repositioning in sustaining competitiveness. The study concludes that entrepreneurial skills not only directly enhance organisational leadership in bottling companies but also interact with market forces to maximise leadership impact. It recommends enhancing environmental scanning, institutionalising innovation, embedding continuous risk management, leveraging competition creatively, and making strategic renewal a core leadership metric. These interventions are essential for improving leadership capacity, market responsiveness, and long-term sustainability in Port Harcourt’s dynamic bottling sector.