How Paradoxical Leadership Promotes Employees’ Career Sustainability: Evidence from the Chinese Cross-Border E-Commerce Industry

Abstract

The ultra-fast development of digital technologies exerts immense pressure on employees in the cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) industry, especially those who are older and have lower levels of education. These employees may appear resistant to digital technologies, which can harm their careers. Leadership can address negative mentalities and sustain employees’ career development. Using job demands–resources (JD–R) theory, this study explored how paradoxical leadership can increase employees’ career sustainability by mitigating resistance to digital technology. Additionally, the moderating effects of age and education were examined. We analyzed time-lagged data from 141 employees in the Chinese CBEC industry, employing Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS–SEM) to test the hypothesized model. Our results revealed that: (1) paradoxical leadership relates negatively to resistance to digital technology but positively to career sustainability; (2) resistance to digital technology negatively relates to career sustainability; (3) resistance to digital technology partially mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and career sustainability; (4) age positively moderates the negative relationship between resistance to digital technology and career sustainability, while education negatively moderates that relationship. We offer novel insights into the trade-off effects among the five variables. Furthermore, our study provides practical guidance for firms, emphasizing the critical influence of paradoxical leadership and individual characteristics on ensuring employees’ career sustainability in the Chinese CBEC context.