The Impact of Automation and Knowledge Workers on Employees’ Outcomes: Mediating Role of Knowledge Transfer

Abstract

While there are existing empirical reviews regarding the relation between knowledge workers (KW) and knowledge transfer (KT), no study has examined the association of automation and knowledge transfer. The study describes knowledge workers as employees embedded with special abilities and having the main role of transfering their abilities to other workers in the organization. Additionally, automation (AUT) is described in the study as a technological process embedded with tacit knowledge. Therefore, using knowledge worker productivity theory and the technology acceptance model, this study aims to recommend and test a research model which examines the mediating role of knowledge transfer between automation, knowledge workers, and employee outcomes (employee creativity (EC) and innovative performance (IP)). The study evaluates the significant influence of knowledge transfer on innovative performance and creativity of other employees within the organization. This study applied a judgmental non-probability sampling research strategy to gather data from employees at an industrial firm in Japan by administering a questionnaire via Google Form. The data were analyzed with partial least squares based on structural equation modeling aimed at testing the predictive power and relationships of the model estimates. The results found support for the mediating role of knowledge transfer between automation and employee creativity as well as between automation and innovative performance. However, the study found partial support that knowledge transfer mediates the relationship between knowledge worker and employee creativity, as well as knowledge worker and innovative performance. In the same, automation and knowledge workers have significant impacts on knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer has a significant impact on employee creativity and innovative performance.