International academic success for Assoc. Prof. Öztırak at AIRS 2026

Assoc. Prof. Mesut Öztırak, a faculty member of the Department of Aviation Management at the School of Business and Management Sciences of Istanbul Medipol University, received the “Best Paper Award” at the Aviation and Research Symposium (AIRS 2026). The study titled “Turbulence in the Mind: The Impact of Organizational Gaslighting on Psychological Safety in the Aviation Industry” presented at the international symposium held in Cappadocia, addressed the relationship between organizational gaslighting and psychological safety in the aviation sector from a multidimensional perspective, producing academically and sectorally significant findings.

The achievement, gained at a symposium attended by academics, industry professionals, and representatives of civil society organizations, once again highlighted Istanbul Medipol University’s academic productivity and international visibility in the fields of aviation and management sciences.

AN INVISIBLE THREAT IN THE AVIATION SECTOR
In the aviation industry, which is characterized by high safety requirements and low tolerance for error, the ability of employees to communicate openly and report mistakes is of critical importance. However, the study shows that increasingly visible organizational gaslighting behaviors pose a serious threat to this process.

Within the scope of the research, data were collected between March and October 2025 from 400 employees working in various operational and administrative units at Istanbul Airport. Using a two-dimensional (abuse/invalidation) organizational gaslighting scale developed by Assoc. Prof. Mesut Öztırak, the analyses revealed that these behaviors systematically and negatively affect employees’ perceptions of psychological safety.

FINDINGS INDICATE EROSION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
The results of the study showed that all dimensions of organizational gaslighting have a significant and negative effect on psychological safety. It was found that organizational denial reduces employees’ willingness to express themselves and report errors, while self-doubt and confusion undermine psychological safety by weakening trust in decision-making processes. Deceptive managerial behaviors were observed to erode trust in information and negatively affect team communication, while breach of trust emerged as the dimension with the strongest negative impact on psychological safety.

The findings point to significant structural risks, particularly in terms of error reporting, team coordination, and safety culture in the aviation sector, where such factors are critically important.
 

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
The study also offers important managerial implications for organizations operating in high-risk sectors, particularly aviation enterprises. Accordingly, it emphasizes the need to increase transparency and consistency in corporate communication and to prevent covert manipulative practices that undermine employee perceptions. It highlights the importance of adopting leadership approaches that support psychological safety and providing managerial training in this direction. While error reporting systems should be supported not only technically but also culturally, a trust-based organizational culture is identified as a fundamental component of sustainable safety performance.

Assoc. Prof. Mesut Öztırak’s study makes a significant contribution to the literature by demonstrating that safety culture in the aviation sector is shaped not only by technical processes but also by organizational behavior dynamics. The research provides a strategic framework for strengthening psychological safety for both academia and industry stakeholders.