Who shapes the innovation culture in the Greek maritime sector? An empirical multilevel study of 30 shipping companies

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the literature on innovation culture in maritime companies in Greece by identifying the extent of innovation culture within the Greek maritime companies of our sample. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was applied by utilizing a qualitative analysis based on the conduction of semi-structured interviews. From the results, a context-specific five-factor measurement scale was developed, tailored to the unique operational environment of the shipping industry. Furthermore, two linear mixed models and a correlation matrix were conducted to evaluate the hypotheses of this paper. Lastly, an innovation score was calculated and ranked from the sample, to identify varying levels of innovation maturity. Findings The findings indicate that five main factors contribute positively to the overall imprint of the innovation culture in maritime companies. Furthermore, maritime companies in Greece have a moderate culture of innovation, and finally, they are shaping culture of innovation within the companies and not the employees. Research limitations/implications There are two main limitations in this paper. Firstly, the sample could be larger than the sample collected. Secondly, the data collected were only from employees and not from the seafarers. These limitations come due to the restriction of access to maritime companies in general and in their vessels. Originality/value As there are not any empirical studies in the aspects of innovation culture in maritime in Greece, this paper aims to bridge this gap.