|
|
|
| Transformation of Employees against the Backdrop of Digital Technology Innovation: Integration Framework and Research Prospects |
| Dang Hongyan1,2,Li Yunpeng1 |
| (1.College of Business Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China;2.Party School of Jinzhong Municipal Party Committee, Jinzhong 030600, China) |
|
|
|
|
Abstract While researchers emphasize that digitalization is a challenge that affects all aspects, studies and reviews have focused mainly on digital technology, business, and strategy. There are not enough integrated studies on employee-related factors, and thus there is an urgent need to explore how to make employees realize their value in digital work.#br#By analyzing and summarizing relevant literature, this study holds that in the digital transformation of employees, individuals trigger significant individual changes and improve their personal abilities by integrating information, computing, communication, and connectivity technologies. The digital transformation of employees is not only an interactive process between people and technologies but also a goal-oriented process aimed at improving employees' digital thinking and working abilities. The understanding of this definition contains two core elements: first, digital technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Second, the result of the digital transformation of employees is that employees become symbolized and virtualized people.#br#In view of this, at the intersection of digitalization and transformation of employees, this paper adopts a human-centered digitalization perspective to analyze the digital transformation of employees. In order to systematically sort out the literature, this study adopts a combination of systematic review and visual literature analysis methods to search relevant literature on the Web of Science and CNKI databases, and inputs "digital *"(and its secondary words, such as “big data”) and "employees" (and its synonyms) in the theme, title, abstract, or key words. The time span of the literature search is from 2002 to 2022, and 152 English and 58 Chinese texts are obtained as the analysis objects. The results show that since the beginning of this century, employees in technological change have attracted the attention of domestic and foreign researchers, but domestic research in this field has maintained a low growth trend. The research is conducted around the use of digital technologies at work, with a focus on innovation and performance. These studies have focused on three contexts: the use of social media, telework, and the use of information and big data.#br#In this paper, guided by the analysis framework of antecedents-behaviors-consequences, the research achievements and research trends at various levels are reviewed accordingly. First, a large amount of research has explored the individual and organizational factors that influence the transformation. The variables involved in the studies focus on cognition, individual abilities and characteristics, and organizational and leadership characteristics. The studies show the characteristics of system steering. The research results have evolved from the cognition of technology and social norms in the early days to emphasizing that the success of digital transformation for employees is determined by multiple factors and requires more complex resource integration. Second, in the process of transformation, employees have two kinds of behaviors: active participation and passive resistance. During this process, employees play different roles and have different emotions. On the whole, there are few studies on the transformation process, but they show the characteristics of multi-dimension. The research has shifted the perspective from the behavioral process of technology adoption to the emotional and experiential process and from the perspective of participation or resistance to explore the richer social and psychological expression of employees in the workplace. Third, the digital transformation of employees has both positive and negative impacts on individuals and organizations. The research results show the characteristic of integration, that is, the positive and negative results brought by the digital transformation, are incorporated into a research framework.#br#Within the integration framework of "influencing factors—transformation process —results", this study puts forward the prospect of future research focus. First of all, the classification of digital transformation of employees should be improved according to different contexts, and the inconsistent views of existing research should be addressed. Secondly, longitudinal research methods should be adopted to study the process mechanism of transformation and the change in individual ability. Finally, the effectiveness of digital transformation for employees should be enhanced at the individual and organizational levels.#br#
|
|
Received: 17 June 2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
[1] 朱巧玲,杨剑刚.奴役或自由——人的数字化发展的批判与反思[J].福建论坛(人文社会科学版),2022,42(3):18-31.
[2] VIAL G. Understanding digital transformation:a review and research changenda [J]. Journal of Strategic Information Systems,2019,28(2):118-144.
[3] 张新,马良,张戈.社交媒体使用与员工绩效的关系研究[J].管理科学,2018,31(2):71-82.
[4] OLDHAM G R, DA SILVA N. The impact of digital technology on the generation and implementation of creative ideas in the workplace[J]. Computers in Human Behavior, 2015, 42(5): 5-11.
[5] WU L, KANE G C. Network-biased technical change: how modern digital collaboration tools overcome some biases but exacerbate others[J]. Organization Science, 2021, 32(2): 273-292.
[6] COLBERT A, YEE N, GEORGE G. The digital workforce and the workplace of the future[J]. Academy of Management Journal, 2016, 59(3): 731-739.
[7] DUNN M. Making gigs work: digital platforms, job quality and worker motivations[J]. New Technology, Work and Employment, 2020, 35(2): 232-249.
[8] ORHAN M A, CASTELLANO S, KHELLADI I, et al. Technology distraction at work:impacts on self-regulation and work engagement[J]. Journal of Business Research, 2021, 126(2): 341-349.
[9] MATHIEU J, AHEARNE M, TAYLOR S R. A longitudinal cross-level model of leader and salesperson influences on sales force technology use and performance[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology,2007, 92(2):528-537.
[10] 马君,郭明杰.企业数字化转型、员工数字认知与创新绩效:技术为刀,我为鱼肉[J /OL]].科技进步与对策. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail//42.1224.G3.20221205.1054.010.html.
[11] SOLBERG E, LAURA E M, TTAAVIK, et al. Digital mindsets: recognizing and leveraging individual beliefs for digital transformation[J].California Management Review,2020, 62(4):105-124.
[12] SCHNEIDER P, STING F J. Employees′ perspectives on digitalization-induced change: exploring frames of industry 4.0[J]. Academy of Management Discoveries, 2020, 6(3): 406-435.
[13] CETINDAMAR K D, ABEDIN B. Understanding the role of employees in digital transformation: conceptualization of digital literacy of employees as a multi-dimensional organizational affordance[J]. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 2021,34(6):1649-1672.
[14] MOLINO M, CORTESE C G , GHISLIERI C . The promotion of technology acceptance and work engagement in industry 4.0: from personal resources to information and training[J]. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 17(7):24-38.
[15] JARRAHI M H, ESHRAGHI A. Digital natives vs digital immigrants: a multidimensional view on interaction with social technologies in organizations[J]. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 2019,32(6):1051-1070.
[16] ALIEVA J, POWELL D J. The significance of employee behaviours and soft management practices to avoid digital waste during a digital transformation[J]. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 2022,14(1):1-32.
[17] DITTES S, RICHTER S, RICHTER A, et al. Toward the workplace of the future: how organizations can facilitate digital work[J]. Business Horizons, 2019, 62(5): 649-661.
[18] VAN DER SCHAFT A H T, LUB X D, VAN DER HEIJDEN B, et al. How employees experience digital transformation: a dynamic and multi-layered sensemaking perspective[J]. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 2022,45(11):1-18.
[19] DAVISON R M, OU C X J. Digital work in a digitally challenged organization[J]. Information & Management, 2017, 54(1): 129-137.
[20] GKINKO L, ELBANNA A. Hope, tolerance and empathy: employees' emotions when using an AI-enabled chat-bot in a digitalised workplace[J]. Information Technology & People, 2022,35(6):1714-1743.
[21] 孙元,贺圣君,尚荣安,等.企业社交工作平台影响员工即兴能力的机理研究——基于在线社会网络的视角[J].管理世界,2019,35(3):157-168.
[22] BARTSCH S, WEBER E, BUTTGEN M, et al. Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation: how to lead service employees effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic[J]. Journal of Service Management, 2021, 32(1):71-85.
[23] AYYAGARI R, GROVER V, PURVIS R. Technostress: technological antecedents and implications[J]. MIS Quarterly,2011, 35(4):831-858.
[24] DENGLER K, GUNDERT S. Digital transformation and subjective job insecurity in Germany[J]. European Sociological Review, 2021, 37(5): 799-817.
[25] WANG H, DING H, KONG X. Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: the roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity[J]. International Journal of Manpower, 2022,35(7):23-45.
[26] WIELGOS D M, HOMBURG C, KUEHNL C. Digital business capability: its impact on firm and customer performance[J]. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 2020,3(16):151-180.
[27] PALUMBO R. Does digitizing involve desensitizing? strategic insights into the side effects of workplace digitization[J]. Public Management Review, 2022, 24(7): 975-1000.
|
|
|
|
