The Impact of Digital Leadership on Employee Resilience: The Mediating Roles of Work Gamification and Workplace Mindfulness and the Moderating Role of AI Anxiety

Abstract

Despite the rapid penetration of digital technologies into the workplace, many enterprises are undergoing digital transformation, making safeguarding employees’ occupational health increasingly important. Drawing on social cognition and the conservation of resources theories, this study developed a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between digital leadership and employee resilience, as well as the mediating roles of work gamification and workplace mindfulness and the moderating role of AI anxiety. Survey data from 293 employees revealed that digital leadership significantly and positively predicted employee resilience. Both work gamification and workplace mindfulness mediate the relationship between digital leadership and employee resilience. AI anxiety positively regulated the positive relationship between workplace mindfulness and employee resilience but did not significantly moderate the indirect pathway through work gamification. In addition, AI anxiety negatively regulates the direct positive effect of digital leadership on employee resilience. These findings clarify the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which digital leadership promotes employee resilience in digitally transformed workplaces. This study also offers practical implications for organizations seeking to protect employee well-being and reduce burnout during digital transformation.