Evaluation of innovation culture components using DEMATEL and SWARA methods

The world is evolving and changing every day, particularly under the influence of technology. Technological advancements, digitalization, and competition make change inevitable. These changes and advancements force businesses to compete with rival businesses and adapt to these changes. The concept of innovation emerges at the point where businesses begin their transformation journey. Innovation is the process of creating new activities that provide commercial benefits to businesses. If businesses continue their activities with an "innovation" focus and embrace innovation, it can be said that there is an innovation culture in the business. It can be said that innovation culture arises from the fact that businesses have a structure that supports innovation demands and practices. The aim of the study is to investigate the importance and interaction levels of the components that constitute the innovation culture and to present information that businesses can use for the issues they should pay attention to in the innovation culture and the strategies they will determine. The research revealed the key components of a healthy innovation culture. The study identified 13 components that constitute innovation culture through a literature review. These components were evaluated through a survey conducted by 10 experts working in ceramics, porcelain, and casting businesses in Bilecik province. The data obtained was analyzed using the DEMATEL and SWARA methods of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). As a result of the research, based on the results of both methods, it was determined that the most important components of the innovation culture are mission and vision, resource , learning and development , open communication , and leadership. As a result of these results, it was seen that the ceramic, porcelain and casting companies within the scope of the research should give importance to these criteria in their innovation culture. When the results of the study are evaluated, it is observed that these businesses do not give sufficient importance to the criteria of competitive understanding and open communication based on the difference between the importance rankings and impact levels of the participants, and it is suggested that businesses that want to successfully maintain their innovation culture should be aware of these criteria. The research contributes to the literature by contributing to the limited number of studies in which preferred methods are applied together and by adding a sectoral dimension to studies on innovation culture.