Perceived organizational digital empowerment and employee performance: the mediating role of work autonomy and the moderating role of proactive personality

Abstract

As digital transformation increasingly reshapes the workplace, understanding whether and how perceived organizational digital empowerment (PODE) enhances employee performance (EP) has become an important issue in organizational research. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the relationship between PODE and EP, with work autonomy (WA) as a mediator and proactive personality (PP) as a moderator. Using a two-wave survey design, data were collected from 302 employees working in organizations in the technology, manufacturing, and financial sectors in China. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses showed that PODE was positively associated with both EP and WA. WA, in turn, was positively associated with EP and mediated the relationship between PODE and EP. In addition, PP strengthened the positive relationship between PODE and EP. These findings underscore the importance of organizational digital empowerment in improving EP and suggest that organizations can enhance performance by strengthening employees’ WA and by using staffing and development practices that leverage employees’ PP.