AI Acceptance, Job Insecurity, and Resistance to Change: Impacts on Innovative Work Behavior

Against the backdrop of rapid technological advancements and global economic instability, job insecurity among employees has become a growing concern. This rising uncertainty presents a significant challenge, potentially jeopardizing innovative work behaviors that are vital for an organization's success. Building on the Conservation of Resources Theory, this article aims to elucidate the mechanism through which employees' perceived job insecurity influences their innovative behavior. Specifically, this study examined the mediating role of resistance to change in the relationship between the two variables, whilst investigating how perceived AI acceptance moderates this influence pathway. Survey data collected from 350 hotel employees in China indicate that job insecurity leads to greater resistance to change, which in turn diminishes innovative behavior. Notably, the acceptance of AI can help relieve the adverse consequences that job insecurity may bring, which is mediated by two mechanisms: first, it weakens the direct effect of job insecurity on resistance to change. In addition, the acceptance of AI inhibits the indirect effect of job insecurity on innovation behavior through the mediating path. The results offer important insights into the psychological processes that connect job insecurity to innovation, while also providing actionable recommendations for organizations to alleviate these negative effects in the era of AI.