Factors affecting office employees’ readiness to adopt artificial intelligence in Ho Chi Minh City
Published: July 20, 2026
doi:10.62831/nckh.2026.578.v1
Abstract
In the context of increasing AI adoption in enterprises, employees’ readiness to use AI has become a key determinant of digital transformation effectiveness. This study evaluates the impact of high-performance work systems and resistance to change on AI readiness, while examining the mediating roles of task-oriented leadership and AI anxiety. Using a quantitative approach with PLS-SEM based on data from 250 office employees in Ho Chi Minh City, the results indicate that AI anxiety is a significant barrier to AI readiness. Meanwhile, task-oriented leadership and AI anxiety play important mediating roles in the relationship between antecedents and AI readiness. The study proposes managerial implications to reduce technology-related anxiety, strengthen leadership roles, and enhance AI readiness within organizations.
Keywords
high-performance work systemresistance to changeAI readinessAI anxietytask-oriented leadership
References
1.
Alsheibani, S., Cheung, Y., & Messom, C. (2018). Artificial intelligence adoption: AI-readiness at firm-level. Proceedings of the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), 37. https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2018/37/
2.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
5.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R: A workbook. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Han, J. H., Liao, H., Taylor, M. S., & Kim, S. (2017). Effects of high‐performance work systems on transformational leadership and team performance: Investigating the moderating roles of organizational orientations. Human Resource Management, 57(5), 1065-1082. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21886
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
House, R. J., & Mitchell, T. R. (1975). Path-goal theory of leadership (Technical Report No. TR-75-67). Washington University, Department of Psychology.
12.
Li, C., Ashraf, S., Amin, S., & Safdar, M. (2023). Consequence of resistance to change on AI readiness: Mediating-moderating role of task-oriented leadership and high-performance work system in the hospitality sector. SAGE Open, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231217731
Oreg, S. (2003). Resistance to change: Developing an individual differences measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 680-693. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.4.680
Rogers, R. W. (1975). A protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change. The Journal of Psychology, 91(1), 93-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1975.9915803
Tong, H., Yu, J., & Shou, M. (2025). Mitigating the effect of AI anxiety on employees' creativity: A social cognitive perspective. Springer Nature Business & Economics, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44362-025-00006-5
Venkatesh, V. (2000). Determinants of perceived ease of use: Integrating control, intrinsic motivation, and emotion into the technology acceptance model. Information Systems Research, 11(4), 342-365. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11872
