Navigating Techno-Insecurity: Exploring the Roles of Cognitive Appraisal and Mastery Work Characteristics in Work Engagement
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2025-07-04
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en
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Abstract
As modern technologies reshape work, employees must continuously adapt, often
experiencing techno-insecurity: the fear that emerging technologies may render their skills or
roles obsolete. While techno-insecurity has been linked to lower work engagement, the
psychological mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear. Drawing on the Job
Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and Transactional Theory of Stress (TTS), this study
investigates whether employees’ appraisals of modern technology as a threat and/or a challenge
mediate the impact of techno-insecurity on work engagement. It also explores whether mastery
work characteristics (role clarity, job feedback, and feedback from others) moderate these
appraisal processes.
A cross-sectional survey among 112 Dutch employees was conducted, using Hayes’s
PROCESS macro. Techno-insecurity showed a significant negative association with work
engagement. While individual mediation paths through threat and challenge appraisal were not
significant, the total indirect effect via both appraisals was, suggesting a joint mediating role.
Mastery work characteristics did not moderate these effects. These findings contribute to
technostress literature by isolating techno-insecurity as a distinct cognitive demand and
underscore the importance of how employees interpret technological demands in shaping their
engagement. Future research should strengthen construct alignment and explore alternative
moderators in digitally evolving workplaces.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen