The Effect of Managerial Support on Employee Creativity: A Study on Aircraft Maintenance Personnel

This study aims to examine the effect of managerial support on employee creativity in SHY-145 approved aircraft maintenance organizations operating in Turkey and authorized by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). A quantitative research method was adopted in the study and a relational survey model was used. Data were collected from 362 technical personnel selected by convenience sampling method. A questionnaire form consisting of three sections was used as a data collection tool, and in addition to demographic information, Manager Support Scale and Employee Creativity Scale were applied. According to the regression analysis results, managerial support has a positive and significant effect on employee creativity. Analyses conducted according to demographic variables revealed that both managerial support and employee creativity variables did not show a significant difference according to gender, marital status, age and professional experience groups. In line with the results of the study, it is recommended that creative leadership training programs should be organized for managers in aircraft maintenance organizations, formal mechanisms should be established where technical personnel can share their creative ideas, performance evaluation systems should be restructured to encourage creative thinking, and regulations should be included in DGCA regulations to encourage creative thinking. In future studies, it is suggested investigating the moderating effects of variables such as organizational culture, technological competence and job security climate and conducting comparative studies covering aircraft maintenance organizations in different countries.