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A study on the relationship between digital leadership, digital self-efficacy, and work engagement: the moderating
Jingke Li1, Yongkang Wang1, Joongoo Han2
1Graduate School, Kangnam University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Introduction:
With the rapid development of emerging technologies, organizations are experiencing a profound digital transformation. However, in this high-pressure context, employees frequently experience technostress, which may diminish the positive influence of leadership. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study constructs a mediation model linking digital leadership, digital self-efficacy, and work engagement, while incorporating technostress as a moderating variable.
Methods:
Using a two-wave time-lagged design, this study collected survey data from 352 employees across multiple companies in China.
Results:
(1) digital leadership significantly enhances employee work engagement, (2) digital self-efficacy partially mediates this association, and (3) the positive influence of digital leadership on digital self-efficacy is substantially weakened under high technostress.
Discussion:
These findings extend the applicability of COR theory to digital contexts and highlight the boundary role of technostress.
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