Designing a Competency Model for Bank Managers in the Banking 4.0 Era: A Thematic Analysis Approach

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a comprehensive and context-specific model of the competencies required by bank managers in the Banking 4.0 era in accordance with the digital transformation requirements of the Iranian banking system. This qualitative study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach. The participants comprised 18 experts in digital banking, senior banking executives, and academic specialists in management, information technology, human resources, data, cybersecurity, and banking regulation, who were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the six stages of thematic analysis using MAXQDA 2020. The four criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln were applied to establish the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Coding reliability was also examined using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, which yielded a value of 0.85, indicating satisfactory inter-coder agreement. The thematic analysis indicated that the competency model for bank managers in the Banking 4.0 era comprised nine major themes: technology and digitalization competency; security, privacy, and digital ethics; data orientation and data governance; customer experience and digital marketing; ecosystem and open banking; transformational and future-oriented leadership; human capital development and digital learning; competitive intelligence and environmental monitoring; and intelligent regulation and compliance. Security, privacy, and digital ethics emerged as the most prominent competency domain, followed by transformational and future-oriented leadership and technology and digitalization competency. Analysis of thematic interrelationships further indicated particularly strong connections between transformational leadership and human capital development, security and digital ethics and technological competency, and data orientation and leadership. The proposed model demonstrates that managerial effectiveness in Banking 4.0 depends on an integrated combination of technological, data-related, ethical, strategic, leadership, customer-oriented, and ecosystem competencies. The model can provide a practical framework for managerial competency assessment, selection and appointment, succession planning, and the design of management training and development programs within Iranian banks.