Background and Objective: With the increasing expansion of digital banking, cyber threats have become a major financial and operational risk. This study aimed to design a model based on macro-ergonomic principles to strengthen cybersecurity resilience in order to reduce financial risk in the digital banking industry.
Methods: This study was conducted with a mixed approach. In the qualitative phase, 15 experts were interviewed and the data were examined with thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, the resulting conceptual model was tested through a researcher-made questionnaire on a sample of 387 bank employees. Data analysis and evaluation of the final model were performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in LISREL software.
Results: The qualitative analysis led to the identification of 5 main themes and 32 sub-themes that formed the dimensions of the model: technical-instrumental subsystem, human-psychological, organizational-structural, environmental-supervisory factors, and cybersecurity resilience (consequence). The results of the quantitative model test showed that the model has a good fit (CMIN/DF = 2.41, GFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.061, SRMR = 0.057). All four macroergonomic dimensions had a positive and significant effect on cybersecurity resilience. Among them, the “organizational-structural subsystem” with a standardized path coefficient of 0.48 had the greatest effect and was identified as the strongest predictor.
Conclusion: The sociological-technical model based on macroergonomics provides an efficient framework for analyzing and strengthening cybersecurity resilience in digital banking; in such a way that increasing cyber resilience is expected to also help reduce financial risks. This result emphasizes the need to transition from purely technical approaches to a systemic and interactive approach between humans, technology, and organizational structure.
