Research on the Mechanism of Artificial Intelligence Stress Perception Influencing Employees’ Approach-oriented Job Crafting: Applying the Transactional Theory of Stress and Approach-avoidance Coping Theory

Junbiao  Wang; Zhongwu  Li

doi:10.60027/iarj.2025.286651

Authors

Junbiao Wang National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2184-9252
Zhongwu Li National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1208-2763

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2025.286651

Keywords:

AI Stress Perception, Job Crafting, Transactional Theory of Stress, Coping Strategy, Workplace Transformation

Abstract

Background and Aims: With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its increasing application in workplaces, employees experience profound transformations in their work tasks, job roles, and professional development paths. While AI enhances efficiency and decision-making, it also raises concerns about job security, skill obsolescence, and workplace stress. This study explores how AI perception influences employees' job crafting behavior through the lens of the Transactional Theory of Stress and the Coping Theory.

Methodology: The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data and interviews from employees in AI-integrated industries. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to analyze the relationships between AI stress perception, coping strategies, and job crafting behaviors. The study distinguishes between two types of AI stress perception: AI threat perception and AI challenge perception, examining their respective influences on proactive job crafting.

Results: Findings reveal that AI stress perception significantly influences employees’ coping strategies. Employees with a high AI threat perception tend to adopt avoidance coping, leading to negative job crafting behaviors, while those with an AI challenge perception engage in approach-oriented coping, enhancing their proactive job crafting. Furthermore, coping strategies serve as a mediating factor between AI perception and job crafting outcomes.

Conclusion: AI perception plays a crucial role in shaping employees’ job behaviors. Organizations should develop targeted interventions to help employees positively interpret AI-related workplace changes, encourage proactive coping strategies, and promote skill development to enhance job crafting.

References

Aloisi, A., & De Stefano, V. (2022). Your boss is an algorithm: Artificial intelligence, platform work, and labour. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Aytekin, M., Öztürk, Y., & Çelik, K. (2021). Artificial intelligence and organizational change: A systematic literature review. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(4), 678–701. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-12-2020-0361

Brougham, D., & Haar, J. (2018). Artificial intelligence: Employee perceptions and adaptation strategies. Journal of Workplace Behavior, 35(3), 245-267.

Brougham, D., & Haar, J. M. (2018). Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Human-AI interactions in the workplace. AI & Society, 33(4), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-017-0785-0

Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92-100.

Carver, C. S. (2000). Coping strategies and mechanisms: A conceptual framework for research. American Psychologist, 55(6), 652–660. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.6.652

Ding, H. (2021). Artificial intelligence in the workplace: A double-edged sword for employee well-being. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/hrmj.12345

Ding, Y. (2021). AI challenges in modern workplaces: A review. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 37(5), 789-801.

Elliot, A. J., & Thrash, T. M. (2002). Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: Theoretical frameworks and empirical findings. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0601_3

Freire, C., Ferradás, M. D. M., Núñez, J. C., & Valle, A. (2020). Exploring coping mechanisms in work-related stress: The role of self-efficacy and resilience. Work & Stress, 34(3), 253–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2020.1727759

İşcan, O. F. (2021). Employee perceptions of artificial intelligence in the workplace: Challenges and opportunities. Technology in Society, 67, 101780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101780

Ivaturi, P., & Chua, R. (2023). Employee resilience in the age of AI: Coping strategies and job crafting interventions. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(2), 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05015-8

Jan, S., Lee, T., & Kim, H. (2023). Challenges and opportunities of AI adoption in traditional manufacturing industries. International Journal of Production Economics, 251, 108789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108789

Kumar, N., Gupta, S., & Sharma, P. (2021). Artificial intelligence and job security: A study on employee anxiety and coping mechanisms. Journal of Business Research, 123, 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.045

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing.

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1987). Transactional model of stress and coping: Applications in organizational psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 38(1), 219–243. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.38.020187.001251

McNaughton, N., DeYoung, C. G., & Corr, P. J. (2016). Approach/avoidance. In J. R. Absher & J. Cloutier (Eds.), Neuroimaging personality, social cognition, and character (pp. 25–49). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800935-2.00002-6

Nazareno, J., & Schiff, D. (2021). Automation anxiety: Perceived threats of AI and job displacement in traditional industries. Work, Employment and Society, 35(4), 703–720. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211017236

Nti, I. K., Mensah, P., & Boateng, S. (2022). Adoption of AI in the manufacturing industry: The role of organizational readiness and technological advancements. Technology Forecasting & Social Change, 181, 121689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121689

Plathottam, S., Miller, J., & Brown, K. (2023). Challenges in integrating AI with legacy manufacturing systems. Computers in Industry, 152, 103748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2023.103748

Rosen, C. S., Glassman, L. H., & Morland, L. A. (2020). Telepsychotherapy during a pandemic: A traumatic stress perspective. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30(2), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000221

Schwarzer R & Knoll N (2003). Positive Coping: Mastering Demands and Searching for Meaning. In SJ López & CR Snyder (Eds.): Positive Psychological Assessment. Handbook of Models and Measures (pp. 393-409). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sherman, D. K., Mann, T., & Updegraff, J. A. (2006). Approach/avoidance motivation, message framing, and health behavior: Understanding the congruency effect. Motivation and Emotion, 30(2), 165–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-006-9001-5

Statista. (2023). Impact of artificial intelligence on global employment: Job displacement and creation forecasts. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/ai-job-market

Tims, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2013). Job crafting: The role of employee proactivity in work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(2), 173-186.

Tyson, L., & Zysman, J. (2022). AI-driven automation: Implications for labor markets and workforce adaptation. Research Policy, 51(5), 104451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2022.104451

Yu, H., Wang, P., & Jiang, J. (2020). Job crafting in AI-driven workplaces: A multilevel model of adaptation and performance. Human Resource Management, 59(2), 133–150. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.2020.59.issue-2

Zhu, Y.Q., Corbett, J.U., & Chiu, Y.T. (2020). Understanding employees' responses to artificial intelligence. Organizational Dynamics, 50(2), 100786-100786.