Digital Fluency - Inspecting the Role of Supporting Factors in the Organizational Context : A Multi-Level Approach

Abstract

Digitalization is leading to significant changes in the world of work and transpires as a constant challenge in today’s working life. To a certain extent, all employees are affected by digitalization and must acquire and develop digital competencies. To stay competitive, digital competencies or digital fluency could be a substantial competence. This dissertation conducts three empirical studies to expand our knowledge of employees’ digital fluency, particularly the antecedents and influential factors on the acquisition of digital fluency. The three empirical studies in the dissertation move from the individual-level to the dyadic-level to the team-level perspective to provide as comprehensive an overview as possible of the acquisition of digital fluency. Study 1, with the focus on the individual-level, provides a better understanding of the individuals’ willingness of training participation, the role of personality, specific training, and the matching between these constructs. Based on 1,007 employees surveyed at a large German technology company, the study reveals that the employees’ personality has an impact on their willingness of training participation. Study 2 operates on the dyadic-level and found that leadership behavior: empowering leadership and the leaders’ personality have an effect on employees’ acquisition of digital fluency. Building on a sample of 486 employees from a medium-sized company, Study 2 contributes to a comprehensive understanding of influential factors on employees’ acquisition of digital fluency. Study 3 offers a better understanding of dyadic relationships within work groups, their influence on collective digital fluency, and the moderating effect of the leader-member exchange climate on the team-level. Results from a collected dataset of 805 employees from a large German company confirmed a moderating effect of leader-member exchange climate on collective digital fluency. Overall, the dissertation findings highlight the importance of different antecedents and influential factors in the acquisition of digital fluency. The unique insights can help practitioners build a more suitable work environment for employees to become and stay digitally fluent and thrive in the future.