Employee work perceptions: enterprise digital transformation and job characteristics

Purpose While digital transformation empowers enterprises, it also reshapes work environments and significantly influences employees’ job characteristics perceptions. Given the critical role of employees in driving digital transformation, it is essential to examine changes in their job characteristics perceptions. Existing research primarily focuses on the impact of specific digital technologies while neglecting employees’ perceptions of overall digital transformation and its effects. Additionally, inconsistent findings from previous linear studies indicate the potential for nonlinear effects. To address these gaps, this study investigates two key research questions: (1) How does employees’ perceived level of enterprise digital transformation influence their job demands and job control in a potentially nonlinear manner? (2) What individual and contextual factors moderate these relationships and how do they exert influence? Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the job demands–control model, this study constructs a moderated nonlinear model and endeavors to unravel the nuanced effects of employees’ perceived level of enterprise digital transformation on their job characteristics. A multi-wave survey with 424 employees was conducted. Hierarchical regression was employed. Findings Employees’ perceived level of enterprise digital transformation exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with job demands and a U-shaped relationship with job control. Performance-prove goal orientation flattens the inverted U-shaped relationship between perceived level of enterprise digital transformation and job demands, while autonomous job design steepens the U-shaped relationship with job control. Research limitations/implications Causal inference cannot be established through self-report survey data. Conducting the study exclusively in China may limit the generalizability and external validity of the findings. Future research should consider employing experimental designs and longitudinal case studies, incorporating cultural and social factors and extending the investigation across diverse cultural contexts to enhance the applicability of the results. Practical implications Employees experience job characteristics perceptions changes during digital transformation. Organizations are advocated to adopt a human-centric approach to ease their concerns. Providing inclusive, transparent environments and timely digital training are crucial. Emphasizing performance-prove goals and integrating autonomous job design into human resource management practices are key to organizational success. These measures could help employees adapt to changing job demands and maintain control during transformation. Originality/value This study enhances employee management research during digital transformation by exploring job perceptions. The identification of nonlinear effects clarifies previous inconsistent findings regarding the impact of digital transformation on employee job perceptions, opening new avenues for future research on employee responses in the digital era.