Understanding the Effect of Digital Literacy on Employees' Digital Workplace Continuance Intentions and Individual Performance

Abstract

While a growing body of literature suggests that employees' digital skills are important to enable both individuals and organisations to make the most of the digital workplace, empirical understanding of their effect on technology adoption and performance is currently limited. Drawing on prior models of technology acceptance and continuance, the present study investigated the effect of digital literacy on behavioural intention to continue using the digital workplace and, ultimately, on individual performance. Linear regression was used to analyse the conceptual model using survey data from 142 employees of a major UK charitable organisation. Results partially supported the model, demonstrating that employees' digital skills effect continuance intentions and individual performance via their perceptions of ease of use. The findings suggest an important role for digital literacy, both as an antecedent to the more general determinants of technology adoption, and in organisational interventions designed to encourage digital workplace adoption.