Leadership Climate Optimizes Professional Self-Efficacy to Reduce Technostrain Experience: A Multilevel Study

This study examined a multilevel model of leadership climate, professional self-efficacy, and technostrain in a sample of 877 individuals across 76 teams in Spain and Uruguay. We hypothesized that high levels of professional self-efficacy would mediate the relationship between leadership climate and technostrain (i.e., exhaustion, skepticism, anxiety, and inefficacy related to technology use). Our findings reveal that a positive leadership climate significantly boosts professional self-efficacy, which in turn decreases the experience of technostrain. Moreover, perceptions of shared leadership are positively associated with reduced technostrain. In terms of practical implications, the results suggest that leaders can mitigate the technostrain experienced by workers by providing socio-emotional support, facilitating positive experiences with information and communication technology (ICT), and exemplifying ethical conduct in ICT use. Additionally, efficacy beliefs can be optimized through prior training and the perception of technological and social facilitators in the workplace, which will contribute to the development of positive technology experiences at work. Further implications and limitations of the study will be discussed.