A Qualitative Study of the Innovative Work Behaviours of Bank Employees

Abstract

This study explores how innovative work behaviour emerges in the organisational context, through which processes it is implemented, the cultural factors that ensure its continuity, the main factors that hinder the behaviour and its consequences from a qualitative perspective. In the existing literature, innovative work behaviour has mostly been examined using quantitative approaches and in relation to certain variables, but qualitative studies on how this behaviour is experienced in depth and contextually by employees are quite limited. Therefore, this study aims to fill this theoretical gap by revealing the internal dynamics of innovative work behaviour and guiding practitioners in creating environments that support innovative behaviour. Data for this qualitative research were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. A focus group discussion was held with six employees working at a public bank in Ardahan. An in-depth interview was conducted with an employee working at a private bank in Istanbul, and data were also collected from another employee working at a different private bank in Istanbul through written responses to a semi-structured question form. Because of the data analysis, a total of five distinct themes emerged. These themes include the implementation method and process of innovation, the sustainability of innovative culture, key points hindering innovative behaviour, the source and rationale of innovation, and the outcomes of innovative behaviour. Each of the five obtained themes reflects various dimensional perspectives on innovative work behaviour of bank employees.

Keywords

• Innovative Work Behaviour
• Bank Employees
• Qualitative Research Method
• In-Depth Interview
• Document Analysis

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