Digital transformation and employees’ unethical pro-self behaviours: Roles of uncertainty and job security

Purpose: Previous studies on digital transformation (DT) have mainly concentrated on general organisational contexts, often neglecting the critical employee-level factors that are especially relevant in service enterprises. Consequently, the effect of DT on unethical pro-self-behaviours (UPSB) among frontline employees remains a subject of debate. Drawing on uncertainty management theory (UMT), we propose that DT leads to UPSB by increasing employees’ felt uncertainty (EFU), while employment security (ES) acts as an important boundary condition, reducing the impact of DT on EFU and the subsequent UPSB.Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a multi-source, three-wave study involving service enterprises over several months to test our proposed model, utilising a sample of 267 employee–leader dyads.Findings/results: Our findings indicate that DT is positively associated with UPSB through EFU. In addition, we discovered that the positive relationship between DT and UPSB via EFU is weakened by higher levels of ES.Practical implications: Our study suggests that managers aiming to reduce UPSB should minimise employee uncertainty during the DT process by addressing work demands and providing digital skills training. Organisations undergoing DT should consider offering stronger ES to reduce the uncertainty these transformations bring to employees and further mitigate UPSB.Originality/value: This research deepens the understanding of the micro-level aspects of DT and broadens the existing literature by incorporating a human-centred perspective, moving beyond the traditional focus on top-down management approaches.