Maneuvering through the stormy seas of digital transformation: the impact of empowering leadership on the AI readiness of enterprises
- 6 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Journal of Decision Systems
- Vol. 30 (2-3), 235-258
- https://doi.org/10.1080/12460125.2020.1870065
Abstract
Digital transformation exposes enterprises of altering business strategies and adapt technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI is expected to fundamentally transform the future of work, however, associated changes cause resistance behaviour of employees and hindered AI readiness, i.e., missing preparedness for the implementation. This study examines whether leadership reduces resistance and how it contributes to the AI readiness of enterprises. Expert interviews indicate that empowering leadership, precisely autonomy and development support, is favourable to maneuver AI-induced change. Nevertheless, the quantitative evaluation on the impact of empowering leadership shows neither a significant effect on resistance to change nor on AI readiness. We discuss that employees strive for consistency and leaders who provide stable environments. Researchers understand which factors implicate AI readiness of employees and how leadership and resistance to change contribute. Practitioners comprehend which leadership attributes are fruitful for organizational alignments and how leaders generate appropriate readiness.Keywords
This publication has 83 references indexed in Scilit:
- Change Recipients’ Reactions to Organizational ChangeThe Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 2011
- User resistance determinants and the psychological contract in enterprise system implementationsEuropean Journal of Information Systems, 2010
- Toward an ‘IT Conflict-Resistance Theory’: action research during IT pre-implementationEuropean Journal of Information Systems, 2010
- Empowerment, Predisposition to Resist Change, and Support for Organizational ChangeJournal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2010
- Organizational Change Questionnaire–Climate of Change, Processes, and Readiness: Development of a New InstrumentThe Journal of Psychology, 2009
- On the Pragmatics of Qualitative AssessmentEuropean Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2006
- The Impact of Organizational Culture and Reshaping Capabilities on Change Implementation Success: The Mediating Role of Readiness for ChangeJournal of Management Studies, 2005
- Resistance to change: Developing an individual differences measure.Journal of Applied Psychology, 2003
- Organizational Key Success Factors for Implementing SCM/ERP Systems to Support Decision MakingJournal of Decision Systems, 2001
- Rethinking Resistance and Recognizing Ambivalence: A Multidimensional View of Attitudes Toward an Organizational ChangeAcademy of Management Review, 2000