Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory
This study explores how employee–AI collaboration can promote employees’ proactive behavior by reducing their workload, and examines the mediating role of workload and the moderating effect of AI literacy. Based on a survey of employees across multiple industries, the study finds that employee–AI co...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/648 |
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| author | Chenxi Sun Xinan Zhao Baorong Guo Ningning Chen |
| author_facet | Chenxi Sun Xinan Zhao Baorong Guo Ningning Chen |
| author_sort | Chenxi Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study explores how employee–AI collaboration can promote employees’ proactive behavior by reducing their workload, and examines the mediating role of workload and the moderating effect of AI literacy. Based on a survey of employees across multiple industries, the study finds that employee–AI collaboration significantly reduces employees’ workload, which in turn encourages more proactive behavior. In this process, workload serves as a central mediating mechanism, as it helps alleviate task pressure and frees up cognitive resources, enabling employees to take on additional responsibilities and put forward innovative suggestions. Furthermore, with increasing levels of employee–AI collaboration, employees with higher AI literacy tend to experience greater workload relief, while those with lower literacy demonstrate a stronger and more consistent proactive behavioral response. These findings offer theoretical insight into employee–AI interaction and practical implications for enhancing initiative and innovation through effective AI integration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb547591c6a44f40a88adbe1922aa7c4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb547591c6a44f40a88adbe1922aa7c42025-08-20T01:56:29ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-05-0115564810.3390/bs15050648Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources TheoryChenxi Sun0Xinan Zhao1Baorong Guo2Ningning Chen3School of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110167, ChinaSchool of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110167, ChinaBusiness School, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541006, ChinaSchool of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110167, ChinaThis study explores how employee–AI collaboration can promote employees’ proactive behavior by reducing their workload, and examines the mediating role of workload and the moderating effect of AI literacy. Based on a survey of employees across multiple industries, the study finds that employee–AI collaboration significantly reduces employees’ workload, which in turn encourages more proactive behavior. In this process, workload serves as a central mediating mechanism, as it helps alleviate task pressure and frees up cognitive resources, enabling employees to take on additional responsibilities and put forward innovative suggestions. Furthermore, with increasing levels of employee–AI collaboration, employees with higher AI literacy tend to experience greater workload relief, while those with lower literacy demonstrate a stronger and more consistent proactive behavioral response. These findings offer theoretical insight into employee–AI interaction and practical implications for enhancing initiative and innovation through effective AI integration.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/648employee–AI collaborationproactive behaviorworkloadAI literacy |
| spellingShingle | Chenxi Sun Xinan Zhao Baorong Guo Ningning Chen Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory Behavioral Sciences employee–AI collaboration proactive behavior workload AI literacy |
| title | Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory |
| title_full | Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory |
| title_fullStr | Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory |
| title_short | Will Employee–AI Collaboration Enhance Employees’ Proactive Behavior? A Study Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory |
| title_sort | will employee ai collaboration enhance employees proactive behavior a study based on the conservation of resources theory |
| topic | employee–AI collaboration proactive behavior workload AI literacy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/648 |
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