Does psychological empowerment mediate the relationship between digital competencies and job performance?

Abstract

The increased presence of digital technologies in the workplace has encouraged the workforce to acquire new competencies to face the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The existing literature addresses the positive and negative effects of digital technologies on organizational outcomes. In addition, the relationship between digital competencies and job performance has been previously discussed. However, the impact of psychological variables as potential mediators of this relationship has been less studied. To fill this gap in the literature, this study analyzed the mediating role of psychological empowerment. The data were collected from 357 professionals. Using structural equation modeling, it was found that digital competencies increased job performance and enhanced employees' psychological empowerment, while psychological empowerment positively impacted job performance. Moreover, the results showed that psychological empowerment partially mediated the relationship between digital competencies and job performance. The study's findings highlight the importance of digital competencies in achieving organizational goals.