Jianing Guo

Digital–AI transformation is revolutionizing the modern workplace, yet its complexity has left many aspects of employee responses underexplored. While previous research has examined some employee reactions to technological change, the nuanced impact of ambivalence toward digital–AI transformation on employees’ proactive behavior remains a largely uncharted area. This is especially significant as proactive behavior is crucial for the successful implementation of digital–AI transformation. While presenting unprecedented opportunities, digital–AI transformation has also triggered intricate psychological responses among employees, with ambivalence toward it being particularly prominent. Building on threat–rigidity theory, this study aims to fill a research gap by exploring the impact of ambivalence on employees’ proactive behavior during digital–AI transformation. Using survey data collected from 343 employees undergoing digital–AI transformation, we tested a structural model linking ambivalence, job engagement, and future work self-salience to taking-charge behavior. The results reveal that ambivalence toward digital–AI transformation negatively affects taking-charge behavior. Furthermore, both future work self-salience and job engagement fully mediate this relationship. Additionally, job engagement and future work self-salience jointly play a chained mediating role in the negative effect of ambivalence toward digital–AI transformation on taking-charge behavior. Our findings provide actionable insights for organizations seeking to mitigate ambivalence and foster proactive employee engagement in digital transformation initiatives.