Navigating AI transitions: how coaching leadership buffers against job stress and protects employee physical health

Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 27:12:1343932. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1343932. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

The dynamic interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption in modern organizations and its implications for employee well-being presents a paramount area of academic exploration. Within the context of rapid technological advancements, AI's promise to revolutionize operational efficiency juxtaposes challenges relating to job stress and employee health. This study explores the nuanced effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption on employee physical health within organizational settings, investigating the potential mediating role of job stress and the moderating influence of coaching leadership. Drawing from the conservation of resource theory, the research hypothesized that AI adoption would negatively impact employee physical health both directly and indirectly through increased job stress. Critically, our conceptual model underscores the mediating role of job stress between AI adoption and physical health. Further, introducing a novel dimension to this discourse, we postulate the moderating influence of coaching leadership. To empirically test the hypotheses, we gathered survey data from 375 South Korean workers with a three-wave time-lagged research design. Our results demonstrated that all the hypotheses were supported. The results have significant implications for organizational strategies concerning AI implementation and leadership development.

Keywords: artificial intelligence adoption; coaching leadership; job stress; moderated mediation model; physical health.

MeSH terms

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Humans
  • Leadership
  • Mentoring*
  • Occupational Health*
  • Occupational Stress* / prevention & control

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by Culture, Sports and Tourism R&D Program through the Korea Creative Content Agency grant funded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2023 (Project Name: Development of distribution and management platform technology and human resource development for blockchain-based SW copyright protection, Project Number: RS-2023-00228867, Contribution Rate: 100%).