Relationship between Human Capital, Innovation Capability and Employee Job Performance in Academic Libraries in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Abstract Human capital is considered crucial for the sustainability and success of libraries in this era of globalization. The presented study investigated the effect of human capital on innovation capability and employee job performance in academic libraries. Further, it also explored the effect of innovation capability on employee job performance in academic libraries This study implemented a survey research design. Structured questionnaires were employed to collect the data using the convenience sampling technique. The population of the study included 387 librarians and library assistants from academic libraries in the Southern Africa Region which incorporates three countries, namely Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.23. The results indicated that human capital had a significant and positive effect on innovation capability and employee job performance in academic libraries. Innovation capability also had a significant and positive effect on employee job performance. The major limitation of the study is that it focused only on three Southern African countries, namely Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, the study only concentrated on academic libraries and excluded the other types of libraries such as public, school, and special libraries. The study illustrates essential implications to library managers on the significance of human capital and, therefore, recommends that library managers should place emphasis on the part which human capital plays and invest in the most viable elements of human capital, which can develop innovation capabilities and, in turn, play a substantial part in boosting employees’ job performance.