EPA-1350 – Gender, mental health and innovation culture

Abstract

The studies about innovation culture give little attention to intangible aspects like gender, mental health and social competences. In particular there is a dearth of data concerning the relationship between gender and innovation culture. This research based on psychodynamic theory objective to analyse organizational culture in its intangible aspects related to work mental health. It aims to identify femininity and masculinity characteristics as well as to understand how these dimensions make innovation easier or harder in some organizational cultures. A mixed investigation strategy has been chosen (quanti and qualitative design), including quantitative survey and qualitative analysis. The sample is formed by 15 companies in São Paulo State, Brazil. The presence of social competences, such as tolerance to ambiguity and error in solving conflicts, supportive leaderships, open communication and cohesion, encouragement to change and creativity ease the innovation and worker's mental health. Despite of these results, femininity characteristics appears insufficiently developed in the observed companies and female gender was unvalued during the group interview. The innovation is positively related to the existence of specific organizational culture. Despite of that, the innovation culture aspects insufficiently developed are mostly femininity characteristics in the observed companies.