The effect of alexithymia level on innate innovativeness tendency and brand loyalty among aviation employees

Öz

This study aims to examine the relationships among alexithymia, innate innovativeness tendency, and brand loyalty among aviation employees, and to evaluate the mediating role of innate innovativeness tendency in the relationship between alexithymia and brand loyalty. The study was conducted using a correlational survey design, and data were collected through a questionnaire from 390 employees working in the aviation sector in Türkiye. The sample consisted of cockpit crew, cabin crew, ground services personnel, and technical staff. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Innate Innovativeness Scale, and the Brand Loyalty Scale were used as data collection instruments. The construct validity of the scales was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, while their internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Relationships among the variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis, and the mediating role of innate innovativeness tendency was tested with SPSS PROCESS Macro 4.2, Model 4, based on 5,000 bootstrap samples. The findings revealed significant negative relationships between alexithymia and both innate innovativeness tendency and brand loyalty. A significant positive relationship was also found between innate innovativeness tendency and brand loyalty. The mediation analysis showed that the indirect relationship through innate innovativeness tendency was significant, while the direct relationship remained significant. Accordingly, innate innovativeness tendency played a partial mediating role in the relationship between alexithymia and brand loyalty. Significant differences were also identified in alexithymia and innate innovativeness levels across certain demographic characteristics. The study contributes to the consumer behavior literature by showing that brand loyalty among aviation employees is associated not only with marketing-related factors but also with individual characteristics such as emotional awareness and openness to innovation.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Aviation employees
• alexithymia
• brand loyalty
• innate innovativeness tendency
• consumer behavior

Havacılık çalışanlarında aleksitimi düzeyinin doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi ve marka bağlılığı üzerindeki etkisi

Öz

Bu araştırmanın amacı, havacılık çalışanlarında aleksitimi düzeyi, doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi ve marka bağlılığı arasındaki ilişkileri incelemek ve doğuştan yenilikçilik eğiliminin aleksitimi ile marka bağlılığı arasındaki ilişkide üstlendiği aracı rolü değerlendirmektir. İlişkisel tarama modelinde yürütülen araştırmanın verileri, Türkiye’de havacılık sektöründe görev yapan 390 çalışandan anket yöntemiyle elde edilmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemini kokpit, kabin, yer hizmetleri ve teknik ekip çalışanları oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracında Toronto Aleksitimi Ölçeği, Doğuştan Yenilikçilik Ölçeği ve Marka Bağlılığı Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Ölçeklerin yapı geçerliliği doğrulayıcı faktör analiziyle, iç tutarlılıkları ise Cronbach alfa katsayılarıyla değerlendirilmiştir. Değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiler Pearson korelasyon analiziyle incelenmiş; doğuştan yenilikçilik eğiliminin aracı rolü SPSS PROCESS Macro 4.2 Model 4 kullanılarak 5.000 bootstrap örneklemesi üzerinden test edilmiştir. Bulgular, aleksitimi düzeyi ile doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi ve marka bağlılığı arasında negatif yönlü ve anlamlı ilişkiler bulunduğunu göstermiştir. Doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi ile marka bağlılığı arasında ise pozitif yönlü ve anlamlı bir ilişki belirlenmiştir. Aracılık analizi, doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi üzerinden hesaplanan dolaylı ilişkinin anlamlı olduğunu ve doğrudan ilişkinin de anlamlılığını koruduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Buna göre doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi, aleksitimi ile marka bağlılığı arasındaki ilişkide kısmi aracı rol üstlenmektedir. Ayrıca bazı demografik özellikler bakımından aleksitimi ve doğuştan yenilikçilik düzeylerinde anlamlı farklılıklar saptanmıştır. Araştırma, havacılık çalışanlarının marka bağlılığının yalnızca pazarlama unsurlarıyla değil, duygusal farkındalık ve yeniliğe açıklık gibi bireysel özelliklerle de ilişkili olduğunu göstermesi bakımından tüketici davranışı literatürüne özgün bir katkı sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Havacılık çalışanları
• aleksitimi
• marka bağlılığı
• doğuştan yenilikçilik eğilimi
• tüketici davranışı.

Destekleyen Kurum

Söz konusu değildir.

Etik Beyan

Bu araştırma için gerekli etik kurul izni, İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Rektörlüğü Etik Kurul Başkanlığı’ndan alınmıştır. Araştırma, 09.05.2025 tarihli, 2025-07 toplantı numaralı ve 2025-07-30 karar numaralı etik kurul kararı kapsamında yürütülmüştür. Araştırma sürecinde katılımcıların gönüllü katılımı esas alınmış, elde edilen veriler bilimsel araştırma amacıyla ve gizlilik ilkesi doğrultusunda değerlendirilmiştir. Bu makale herhangi bir tez çalışmasından üretilmemiştir. Bu makale araştırma ve yayın etiği standartlarını karşılamaktadır.

Teşekkür

Söz konusu değildir.

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