This research aimed to determine whether employees’ digital leadership perceptions were related to their attitude toward using AI-powered business communication tools, whether their AI awareness had a mediating role, and whether their motivation to learn had a moderating role in this process. This cross-sectional research collected data from 354 white-collar employees from a telecommunication company through a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that participants’ digital leadership perceptions resulted in a positive attitude toward using AI-powered business communication tools. Participants’ AI awareness mediated this relationship, and their motivation to learn moderated the relationship between digital leadership perceptions and AI awareness.
AfsarB.UmraniW. A. (2019). Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior. European Journal of Innovation Management, 23(3), 402–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejim-12-2018-0257
2.
AikenL. S.WestS. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
3.
AlsharoM.GreggD. G.RamírezR. (2017). Virtual team effectiveness: The role of knowledge sharing and trust. Information & Management, 54(4), 479–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2016.10.005
4.
Amankwah-AmoahJ.KhanZ.WoodG.KnightG. (2021). COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration. Journal of Business Research, 136, 602–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.08.011
5.
Armstrong-StassenM. (2001). Reactions of older employees to organizational downsizing: The role of gender, job level, and time. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 56(4), 234–243. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/56.4.p234
6.
BanduraA. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
7.
BenitezJ.ArenasA.CastilloA.EstevesJ. (2022). Impact of digital leadership capability on innovation performance: The role of platform digitization capability. Information & Management, 59(2), 103590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2022.103590
8.
BergnerA. S.HildebrandC.HäublG. (2023). Machine talk: How verbal embodiment in conversational AI shapes consumer-brand relationships. Journal of Consumer Research, 50(4), 742–764. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad014
9.
BraunS.BarkA. S. H.KirchnerA.StegmannS.Van DickR. (2019). Emails from the boss—curse or blessing? Relations between communication channels, leader evaluation, and employees’ attitudes. International Journal of Business Communication, 56(1), 50–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488415597516
10.
BrislinR. W.LonnerW. J.ThorndikeR. M. (1973). Crosscultural research methods. John Wiley.
11.
BroughamD.HaarJ. (2018). Smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA): Employees’ perceptions of our future workplace. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(2), 239–257. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2016.55
12.
ByrneB. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS. Routledge.
13.
CardonP. W.MaH.FleischmannC. (2023). Recorded business meetings and AI algorithmic tools: Negotiating privacy concerns, psychological safety, and control. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(4), 1095–1122. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211037009
14.
CasalJ. E.KesslerM. (2023). Can linguists distinguish between ChatGPT/AI and human writing?: A study of research ethics and academic publishing. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2(3), 100068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2023.100068
15.
ChalykoffJ.KochanT. A. (1989). Computer-aided monitoring: Its influence on employee job satisfaction and turnover. Personnel Psychology, 42(4), 807–834. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1989.tb00676.x
16.
ChinW. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. In MarcoulidesG. A. (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Erlbaum. Associates.
17.
CollierJ. E. (2020), Applied structural equation modeling using AMOS: Basic to advanced techniques. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003018414
18.
ColquittJ. A.LePineJ. A.NoeR. A. (2000). Toward an integrative theory of training motivation: A meta-analytic path analysis of 20 years of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(5), 678–707. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.5.678
19.
DeSimoneR.HarrisD. (1998). Human resource development. Dryden Press.
ErhanT.UzunbacakH. H.AydınE. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524–1543. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-05-2021-0338
22.
FatimaT.MasoodA. (2023). Impact of digital leadership on open innovation: A moderating serial mediation model. Journal of Knowledge Management, 28(1), 161–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-11-2022-0872
23.
FerikogluD.AkgunE. (2022). An investigation of teachers’ artificial intelligence awareness: A scale development study. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(3), 215–231. https://doi.org/10.52380/mojet.2022.10.3.407
24.
FitriaT. N. (2021). QuillBot as an online tool: Students’ alternative in paraphrasing and rewriting of English writing. Englisia: Journal of Language, Education, and Humanities, 9(1), 183–196. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v9i1.10233
25.
FornellC.LarckerD. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
26.
FrittsM.CabreraF. (2021). AI recruitment algorithms and the dehumanization problem. Ethics and Information Technology, 23(4), 791–801. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-021-09615-w
27.
GetchellK.CarradiniS.CardonP. W.FleischmannC.MaH.AritzJ.StappJ. (2022). Artificial intelligence in business communication: The changing landscape of research and teaching. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 85(1), 7–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906221074311
28.
GhaiB.MuellerK. (2021, October18-22). Fluent: An AI augmented writing tool for people who stutter [Conference session]. 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS ’21), New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1145/3441852.3471211
29.
GongY.HuangJ.FarhJ. (2009). Employee learning orientation, transformational leadership, and employee creativity: The mediating role of employee creative self-efficacy. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 765–778. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670890
30.
HairJ. F.BlackW. C.BabinB. J.AndersonR. E.TathamR. L. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson.
31.
HancockD. R. (2004). Cooperative learning and peer orientation effects on motivation and achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 97(3), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.3200/joer.97.3.159-168
32.
HarisantyD.AnnaN. E. V.PutriT. E.FirdausA. A.Noor AziziN. A. (2024). Leaders, practitioners and scientists’ awareness of artificial intelligence in libraries: A pilot study. Library Hi Tech, 42(3), 809–825. https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-10-2021-0356
33.
HenselerJ.RingleC. M.SarstedtM. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
34.
HodsonC. (2001). Psychology and work. Taylor and Francis.
35.
KarakoseT.Kocabaşİ.YirciR.PapadakisS.ÖzdemirT. Y.DemirkolM. (2022). The development and evolution of digital leadership: A bibliometric mapping approach-based study. Sustainability, 14(23), 16171. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316171
36.
KhawT. Y.TeohA. P.Abdul KhalidS. N.LetchmunanS. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on sustainable performance: A systematic literature review. Journal of Management Development, 41(9/10), 514–534. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2022-0070
37.
KongH.YuanY.BaruchY.BuN.JiangX.WangK. (2021). Influences of artificial intelligence (AI) awareness on career competency and job burnout. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(2), 717–734. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2020-0789
LarsonL. E.DeChurchL. A. (2020). Leading teams in the digital age: Four perspectives on technology and what they mean for leading teams. Leadership Quarterly, 31(1), 101377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101377
40.
LiJ.BonnM. A.YeB. H. (2019). Hotel employee’s artificial intelligence and robotics awareness and its impact on turnover intention: The moderating roles of perceived organizational support and competitive psychological climate. Tourism Management, 73, 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.02.006
41.
MalikM. E.DanishR. Q. (2010). Impact of motivation to learn and job attitudes on organizational learning culture in a public service organization of Pakistan. A Research Journal of South Asian Studies, 25(2), 217–235.
42.
MollahM. A.ChoiJ. H.HwangS. J.ShinJ. K. (2023). Exploring a pathway to sustainable organizational performance of South Korea in the digital age: The effect of digital leadership on IT capabilities and organizational learning. Sustainability, 15, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107875
43.
ObererB.ErkollarA. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404–412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.60332
44.
PayneS. C.YoungcourtS. S.BeaubienJ. M. (2007). A meta-analytic examination of the goal orientation nomological net. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 128–150. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.128
45.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.LeeJ. Y.PodsakoffN. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
46.
PrinceK. A. (2018). Digital leadership: Transitioning into the digital age [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. James Cook University.
47.
RomanA. V.Van WartM.WangX.LiuC.KimS.McCarthyA. (2018). Defining e-leadership as competence in ICT-mediated communications: An exploratory assessment. Public Administration Review, 79(6), 853–866. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12980
48.
StevensJ. (1996). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Erlbaum.
49.
TarisT. W.KompierM. A. J.De LangeA.SchaufeliW. B.SchreursP. J. G. (2003). Learning new behaviour patterns: A longitudinal test of Karasek’s active learning hypothesis among Dutch teachers. Work & Stress, 17(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267837031000108149
50.
TigreF. B.CuradoC.HenriquesP. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132
51.
TurkA. (2023). Digital leadership role in developing business strategy suitable for digital transformation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1066180
52.
UlutasM.ArslanH. (2017). Bilişim liderliği ölçeği: Bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması (Information leadership scale: A scale development study). Marmara Üniversitesi Atatürk Eğitim Fakültesi Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 47, 105–123. https://doi.org/10.15285/maruaebd.2739
53.
UsmanA.GhafoorM. M.DanishR. Q. (2011). Impact of motivation to learn, organizational commitment and job satisfaction on organizational learning culture. Business & Management Quarterly Review, 2(3), 108–115.
54.
WangS.NoeR. A. (2010). Knowledge sharing: A review and directions for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 20(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.10.001
55.
XiaY.LiuX.WangX.DengH.HanC.LiuZ.TsaiS. (2023). The power of role models in a team: The impact of lead entrepreneur’s digital leadership on digital entrepreneurial success. Information Processing & Management, 60(6), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2023.103498
ZhangZ. V. (2020). Engaging with automated writing evaluation (AWE) feedback on L2 writing: Student perceptions and revisions. Assessing Writing, 43, 100439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2019.100439
58.
ZhuJ.ZhangB.XieM.CaoQ. (2022). Digital leadership and employee creativity: The role of employee job crafting and person-organization fit. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.827057
