Communication, social capital and workplace health management as determinants of the innovative climate in German banks

Abstract

Objective: The present study aims to measure the determinants of the innovative climate in German banks with a focus on workplace health management (WHM). Methods: We analyze the determinants of innovative climate with multiple regressions using a dataset based on standardized telephone interviews conducted with health promotion experts from 198 randomly selected German banks. Results: The regression analysis provided a good explanation of the variance in the dependent variable (R2 = 55%). Communication climate (β = 0.55; p < 0.001), social capital (β = 0.21; p < 0.01), the establishment of a WHM program (β = 0.13; p < 0.05) as well as company size (β = 0.15;p <0.01) were found to have asignificant impact on an organization's innovative climate. Conclusions: In order to foster an innovation-friendly climate, organizations should establish shared values. An active step in this direction involves strengthening the organizations' social capital and communication climate through trustworthy management decisions such as the implementation of a WHM program. © Swiss School of Public Health 2010.