Challenge or hindrance? How and when organizational artificial intelligence adoption influences employee job crafting

Abstract

While organizations are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI), little is known about employees’ reactions to this new work environment. This study utilizes the transactional theory of stress and coping to establish a framework that examines the impact of organizational AI adoption on employees’ promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting based on the data from a three-wave time-lagged survey of 332 employees of eight companies in Chengdu, China. The findings indicated that the effects of organizational AI adoption on challenge/hindrance appraisals and subsequent job crafting depend on employees’ locus of control. Organizational AI adoption induces challenge appraisals for employees with an internal locus of control and leads to promotion-focused job crafting behaviors. When employees possess an external locus of control, organizational AI adoption induces their hindrance appraisal and leads to prevention-focused job crafting behaviors. These findings have theoretical and practical implications.