Employee Reskilling and Organizational Competitiveness of Telecommunication Firms in Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between employee reskilling and organizational competitiveness of telecommunication firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, it assessed how career pathing and digital competency development influence innovation capacity and operational agility. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design grounded in the positivist paradigm. The population comprised 339 management-level staff of licensed telecommunications operators registered with the Nigerian Communications Commission and operating in Rivers State. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire with validated items adapted from prior studies. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that career pathing had weak and non-significant effects on both innovation capacity and operational agility. In contrast, digital competency development exerted strong and significant positive effects on both dimensions of organizational competitiveness. These results indicate that, within the technology driven telecom environment, investments in digital skill development produce more direct competitive benefits than traditional career progression systems. The study concludes that employee reskilling influences organizational competitiveness in a differentiated manner. Digital competency development is a critical driver of innovation and agility, while career pathing alone is insufficient to produce these outcomes. The study recommends that telecommunication firms should align career progression with innovation capabilities, priorities continuous digital training, adopt flexible and project-based career systems, and integrate digital tools into daily operations to improve responsiveness and performance.