Reenergising Management for a Greater Future: A Study of the Organisational Behaviour of Software Test Engineers, Contributing to the Digital Transformation of Banks in the Irish Financial Sector

Note: Not yet published. Abstract This research will endeavour to understand how Software Test Engineers (STEs) behave in the organisational framework of an Irish financial institution. The research will highlight the organisational and relational behaviours of STEs, as key personnel in providing a conduit between software and its usability by bank workers and consumers. Research aim, objectives/questions The aim of this research is to examine how STEs behave in the context of an Irish financial institution and how such behaviour impacts a financial institution’s ability to digitally transform. There are several related research objectives relating to this aim, but this paper will focus solely on the following research objective which is to contextualise the role STE behaviour has in affecting such an institution’s ability to digitally transform, an objective which is highly applicable to the theme of Reenergising Management for a Greater Future. Originality/value & practical/social implications There is a profound lack of research that maps STE behaviour with an Irish Bank’s ability to digitally transform, this research is designed to fill this gap, whist also contributing to practice, by informing both financial institutions and general organisations about the intricate behaviours, networks and processes that make up the successful integration of digitisation into contemporary organisations. Design/methodology/approach As the researcher is a member of both the organisation (Bank of Ireland) and the STE team, the research is designated as ‘insider’ research, which will be combined with principles of auto-ethnography and reflective practices. Research limitations/implications Insider research involves challenges such as ensuring that the subjective positions of the researcher and the relationship between the researcher and the research are adequately addressed, to ensure validity and robustness of the research findings. Keywords: reenergising management for a greater future, organisational change, remote working, digital transformation, organisational behaviour, Irish financial industry