Paper Type

Complete

Abstract

Digital transformation has become central to organizational agility; however, recent studies show up to 84% of initiatives fail not due to technological shortcomings but because organizations underestimate the human and behavioral demands introduced by digitization. This study examines the emerging socio-technical burnout-productivity paradox, a dynamic process through which digital tools intended to enhance performance may, in practice, contribute to increased cognitive load, hyperconnectivity, and work pressures. Guided by a Design Science Research (DSR) paradigm, we analyze 136 workplace narratives of digital fatigue and burnout using a hybrid inductive-theoretical thematic analysis. The findings identify five socio-technical themes, demonstrating that digital burnout is a systemic organizational condition rather than an individual issue. As a primary contribution, we develop the Socio-Technical Burnout Paradox (STBP) Model, which represents and explains the relationships between Digital Demands, Well-Being Erosion, and Paradoxical Outcomes, where the intended productivity benefits of digital transformation may be undermined in digitized workplaces.

Paper Number

1897

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Aug 15th, 12:00 AM

THE HUMAN SIDE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF BURNOUT AND PRODUCTIVITY IN THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE

Digital transformation has become central to organizational agility; however, recent studies show up to 84% of initiatives fail not due to technological shortcomings but because organizations underestimate the human and behavioral demands introduced by digitization. This study examines the emerging socio-technical burnout-productivity paradox, a dynamic process through which digital tools intended to enhance performance may, in practice, contribute to increased cognitive load, hyperconnectivity, and work pressures. Guided by a Design Science Research (DSR) paradigm, we analyze 136 workplace narratives of digital fatigue and burnout using a hybrid inductive-theoretical thematic analysis. The findings identify five socio-technical themes, demonstrating that digital burnout is a systemic organizational condition rather than an individual issue. As a primary contribution, we develop the Socio-Technical Burnout Paradox (STBP) Model, which represents and explains the relationships between Digital Demands, Well-Being Erosion, and Paradoxical Outcomes, where the intended productivity benefits of digital transformation may be undermined in digitized workplaces.

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