Approach or avoidance? Relationship between perceived AI explainability and employee job crafting.
Journal:
Acta psychologica
Published Date:
May 26, 2025
Abstract
Amid growing concerns about the lack of transparency in algorithms, heightened focus has been placed on artificial intelligence (AI) explainability in workplace decision-making processes. This study leverages work design theory to explore when and how perceived AI explainability impacts two types of employee job crafting: approach job crafting and avoidance job crafting. We analysed multi-wave survey data of 278 medical staff to examine the effects of perceived AI explainability on approach and avoidance job crafting through a dual-pathway model. Results indicated that perceived AI explainability enhanced AI-oriented benefit perception and reduced AI-oriented threat perception, resulting in an increase in approach and avoidance job crafting. Furthermore, our findings suggested that ethical climate strengthened the impacts of perceived AI explainability on AI-oriented benefit perception and AI-oriented threat perception. We discuss key theoretical insights of our findings for advancing AI and job crafting research as well as implications for organisational practice.
