Innovative Thinking Skills for Effective Leadership in Public Universities in Delta State

The study investigated innovative thinking skills for effective leadership in public universities in Delta State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 4231 of academic staffs of public universities in Delta State. The Sample for this study was 846 academic staff. It was determined using 20% of the total population of the study. The instrument used in this study was a self-developed questionnaire titled “Innovative thinking skills for effective leadership Questionnaire (ITSELQ)”. The instrument was structured on a modified 4-point scale of Very High Extent, (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE), Very Low Extent (VLE) for the research questions. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using Cronbach Alpha Statistics. The reliability index yielded a result of = 0.87, 0.82, and 0.77 respectively which showed that the responses were consistent and the instrument considered reliable and adopted for the study. Mean and Standard Deviation Statistics was used to answer the research questions while t-test inferential statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that through innovative approaches, leaders can navigate the complex challenges facing higher education institutions, foster creativity, adaptability, and resilience among staff, and students. It was recommended among others that Public universities should invest in technology infrastructure and provide continuous training opportunities to faculty and staff to enhance their technological literacy skills and Universities should establish efficient resource management