DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION AND COMPANY EXPANSION IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Disruptive Innovation, technological advancement, ecosystem, expansion, Capacity buildingAbstract
Disruptive innovation contributed a major part in shaping business landscapes, especially in emerging markets such as Nigeria. This study examined the relationship between disruptive innovation and company expansion in Nigeria. The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between disruptive innovation and company market share growth and also to determine the relationship between disruptive innovation and customer expansion base. The population of the study comprised the banking, retail, technology, communication, and manufacturing sectors in Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean, and standard deviation, while the hypotheses were tested using a referential statistical tool such as correlation coefficient. The sampling technique adopted was purposive sampling, and the sample size was 20, which included chief executives and managers of these firms. This research adopted a mixed-method approach. The findings revealed that companies adopting disruptive innovations on digital platforms such as fintech, solutions to renewable energy, and agritech realized quick expansion by addressing neglected markets and promoting customer-centric solutions. Though these innovations most times required conquering barriers, including policy misalignment and access to capital. The study focused on the importance of a robust ecosystem that encourages innovations through investment incentives, public-private partnerships, and targeted capacity building. The paper concluded that disruptive innovation was a strategy adopted by firms to expand. It therefore recommended targeted investment in digital infrastructure, the promotion of responsive organizational structures, and investment in research and development.
References
Adebayo, T. O., Alade, A. A., & Ogunyemi, F. (2021). Agritech innovation and agricultural transformation in Nigeria. Journal of Agribusiness Research, 5(1), 45–67.
Adebisi, T. R., & Ojo, A. B. (2022). Logistics innovation and supply chain transformation in Nigeria. International Journal of Logistics Management, 11(3), 65–80.
Adedoyin, F. F., & Alao, O. S. (2020). Fintech innovation and financial inclusion in Nigeria: A pathway to economic growth. African Journal of Business Management, 14(2), 150–162.
Adeyemi, B. B., & Olayiwola, A. A. (2019). E-commerce and market expansion in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects. Journal of Business and Economic Development, 6(3), 89–102.
Adner, R. (2002). When are technologies disruptive? A demand-based view of the emergence of competition. Strategic Management Journal, 23(8), 667–688.
Ahmed, O. S., & Dada, E. T. (2022). Health-tech innovations and healthcare delivery in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Health Economics, 5(1), 45–59.
Christensen, C. M., Raynor, M. E., & McDonald, R. (2015). What is disruptive innovation? Harvard Business Review, 93(12), 44–53.
Doz, Y., & Kosonen, M. (2008). The dynamics of strategic agility: Nokia’s rollercoaster experience. California Management Review, 50(3), 95–118.
Euchner, J. (2016). The limits of disruption: A conversation with Clay Christensen. *Research-Technology Management, 59*(5), 11–18.
Eze, K. N., & Obiora, C. F. (2021). EdTech and digital transformation in Nigerian education: Challenges and opportunities. African Journal of Education and Technology, 10(2), 78–95.
Govindarajan, V., & Kopalle, P. K. (2006). The usefulness of measuring disruptiveness of innovations ex post in making ex ante predictions. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 23(1), 12–18.
Hall, J. V., & Krueger, A. B. (2018). An analysis of the labor market for Uber’s driver-partners in the United States. ILR Review, 71(3), 705–732.
Hartl, B., Hofmann, E., & Kirchler, M. (2016). Do we need rules for "what’s mine is yours"? Governance in collaborative consumption communities. Journal of Business Research, 69(8), 2756–2763.
Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. R. (2014). Digital ubiquity: How connections, sensors, and data are revolutionizing business. Harvard Business Review, 92(11), 90–99.
Lee, I. (2019). Fintech: Ecosystem, business models, investment decisions, and challenges. Business Horizons, 62(2), 157–164.
Lucas, H. C., & Goh, J. M. (2009). Disruptive technology: How Kodak missed the digital photography revolution. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 18(1), 46–55.
Markides, C. (2006). Disruptive innovation: In need of better theory. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 23(1), 19–25.
Nwankwo, I. N., & Okeke, U. P. (2022). Disruptive innovation and market expansion in the Nigerian telecommunications sector. International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 14(1), 23–35.
Okonkwo, J. C., Akpan, I. A., & Njoku, P. O. (2021). Ride-hailing platforms and transportation innovation in Nigeria. Journal of Urban Transport Studies, 7(4), 112–130.
Oladele, A. A., & Yusuf, K. A. (2020). Disruptive innovation and energy access: The role of renewable energy firms in Nigeria. Energy Policy Research, 8(3), 203–215.
Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Crown Publishing.
Schneckenberg, D. (2015). Digital open innovation: Organizational opportunities and challenges. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 92, 183–197.
Schneider, M. (2019, May 28). How Xiaomi is disrupting the smartphone market in India and beyond. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/ (original URL not provided; placeholder format shown)
Yoffie, D. B., & Kwak, M. (2016). Tesla: Disrupting the auto industry (Case No. 9-715-421). Harvard Business School Case Study.
Yu, D., & Hang, C. C. (2010). A reflective review of disruptive innovation theory. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(4), 435–452.
Zervas, G., Proserpio, D., & Byers, J. W. (2017). The rise of the sharing economy: Estimating the impact of Airbnb on the hotel industry. Journal of Marketing Research, 54(5), 687–705.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
