The intertwined effects of digital literacy, agile mindset on design thinking skill and management control competency: Insights from Thai young accountants

Abstract

The research conducted in Thailand has illuminated the intricate interplay among digital literacy, an agile mindset, design thinking skills, and management control competency among young accountants. Employing a robust questionnaire constructed based on an extensive literature review and validated through a pilot test, the study engaged 450 participants, with a predominant representation of females (79.8 %) and males (18.7 %). Leveraging PLS-SEM analysis to examine the relationships between these variables, the research elucidates that both digital literacy and an agile mindset exert substantial influence over the cultivation of design thinking skills and management control competencies. Accountants who possess a high level of digital knowledge and embrace agile thinking demonstrate a remarkable capacity to effectively apply these proficiencies. Consequently, the study emphasizes the critical imperative of fostering and nurturing digital knowledge and agility among the emerging generation of accountants, equipping them to adeptly confront the multifaceted challenges posed by the digital era. It is worth noting that while the study reveals close relationships among Digital Literacy, Agile Mindset, Design Thinking Skill, and Management Control Competency, the strength of each relationship exhibits variations. Additionally, design thinking skills also play a partial mediating role when establishing the indirect effect on the digital literacy-management control competency and agile mindset-management control competency nexus—a facet that merits further exploration and investigation in future research endeavours.