Anxiety in a digitalised work environment

This article in the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) presents a qualitative study which aims at conceptualising digitalisation anxiety. The increasing spread of digital technologies has consequences for how we live, work, and communicate. Alongside positive opportunities, digitalisation also involves risks and can lead to negative reactions such as anxiety. We conducted 26 interviews examining the psychological roots of digitalisation anxiety. We found that the digitalisation megatrend evokes anxieties related not only to individual or organisational changes, but also broader societal considerations. Based on our results, we suggest interventions that could help organisations, teams, and individuals cope with the triggers of digitalisation anxiety in order to improve people’s feelings and experiences related to digitalisation.Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) stellt eine qualitative Studie zur Konzeptualisierung von Digitalisierungsangst vor. Die zunehmende Verbreitung digitaler Technologien hat Auswirkungen darauf wie wir leben, arbeiten und miteinander kommunizieren. Neben den positiven Möglichkeiten und Chancen bringt die Digitalisierung auch Risiken und negative Reaktionen wie Angst mit sich. Um die psychologischen Ursachen dieser so genannten Digitalisierungsangst zu analysieren, führten wir 26 Interviews durch. Wir fanden heraus, dass der Megatrend zur Digitalisierung nicht nur Angst in Bezug auf individuelle oder organisationale Veränderungen, sondern auch im Hinblick auf gesellschaftliche Aspekte mit sich bringt. Basierend auf unseren Ergebnissen schlagen wir Interventionen vor, die Organisationen, Teams und Individuen dabei helfen können, mit den Auslösern von digitaler Angst umzugehen, um die Gefühle und Erfahrungen von Individuen in Bezug auf Digitalisierung zu verbessern

Digitalisation anxiety: development and validation of a new scale

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The increasing spread of digital technologies and respective consequences for the way we live, work, and communicate can evoke feelings of tension and discomfort. This so-called digitalisation anxiety is related to existing and future technologies, includes the process of digitalisation in everyday life, and refers to multiple levels (the individual, organisations, and society). Existing scales measuring technology-related fears due not adequately reflect these features. Therefore, we developed the German version of the Digitalisation Anxiety Scale (DAS). Having generated items based on a qualitative interview study (Study 1, n = 26), we demonstrated the DAS’s factor structure, internal consistency and construct validity in Study 2a (n = 109) and test-retest reliability in Study 2b (n = 30). In Study 3 (n = 223), the scale’s structure was confirmed and correlates of digitalisation anxiety were examined. The final version of the DAS consists of 35 items with a four-factor structure (societal triggers for digitalisation anxiety, triggers related to interaction and leadership, triggers within oneself and triggers resulting from the digitalisation implementation process). Digitalisation Anxiety had negative relationships with well-being and performance. The scale allows practitioners and researchers to measure and benchmark individuals’ levels of digitalisation anxiety, and to track changes over time. The scale can inform interventions aiming at reducing digitalisation anxiety and stress resulting from digitalisation. </jats:p&gt