A Research to Determine the Relationship Between Person-Organization Fit and Organizational Innovation: An example of Airport Operator

Organizational innovation is accepted as the most important competitive tool for businesses. It can be said that innovative businesses are more competitive than their competitors. These innovations can be realised with people who can adapt to the vision, mission, values and goals of the enterprise. In this context, if the expectations, values and goals of the employees are compatible with the business, person-organization harmony can be mentioned and innovations can be implemented. The global competitive environment in today's business world has made innovation compulsory. Innovation is very important for airport operators, such as aviation businesses operating internationally, because it is the only way to take part in international competition. Airport operators, which are one of the important stakeholders operating in the aviation sector and trying to meet the demands and expectations of consumers by constantly innovating, can gain advantages that can ensure their continuity in the sector both by integrating technological developments and by innovative inventions. In this context, a quantitative research based on survey technique was conducted with the employees of an airport operator operating in Türkiye and some airports in the world. Data obtained through survey forms were analyzed with descriptive analysis, pearson correlation and linear regression analysis and finally ANOVA and t-tests by using SPSS 30.0 version. According to the research findings, it was concluded that Person-Organization Fit (POF) has a critical effect on product innovation, behavioural innovation, strategic innovation and there is a strong relationship between these concepts. In addition, it was found that POF differs according to gender, age, marital status, education and working time. Due to the lack of any research on POF and innovation in the literature review, this study aims to contribute to the literature.