Measuring digital transformation stress at the workplace–Development and validation of the digital transformation stress scale

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-27T03:12:18Z
dc.abstract.enDespite the unquestionable advantages of digital transformation (DT) in organizations, the very process of DT could have an impact on the level of stress of the employees. The negative effects of the digital transformation process can be observed during the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) solutions. They are further enhanced by the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, as digital transformation has accelerated to allow for remote work. Herein we distinguish between general stress at the workplace and the very specific type of stress, namely digital transformation stress (DTS). We assumed that this type of stress appears when rapid implementation of ICT solutions is introduced with time pressure and incertitude of further results. To quantify this phenomenon, we developed a new self-report scale—the Digital Transformation Stress Scale (DTSS), measuring employees’ stress stemming from the process of digital transformation in organizations. The psychometric validity of the scale was evaluated in two studies: Study1 conducted at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (N = 229) and Study 2 in 2021 (N = 558), after a year of mostly remote work. The results confirmed good reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha α = .91 in Study 1 and α = .90 in Study 2 and assumed unidimensional factorial validity of the scale in both studies. All items of the scale had good difficulty and discrimination values evaluated in Item Response Theory, i.e., IRT approach. The scale showed predicted convergent validity as the indicator of the digital transformation stress moderately correlated with general stress at work. Moreover, the assumption that even employees with high ICT skills could be affected by DTS was confirmed. Additionally, the results indicated that digital transformation stress was significantly higher among employees who reported both issues: ongoing digital solutions projects at the workplace and high impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their work. The scale could be used in future work on measuring and counteracting digital transformation stress at the workplace.
dc.affiliationCentrum Badań nad Relacjami Społecznymi
dc.affiliationInterdyscyplinarne Laboratorium Regulacji Emocjonalnej i Procesów Poznawczych
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Warszawie
dc.contributor.authorMakowska-Tłomak, Ewa
dc.contributor.authorBedyńska, Sylwia
dc.contributor.authorSkorupska, Kinga
dc.contributor.authorNielek, Radosław
dc.contributor.authorKornacka, Monika
dc.contributor.authorKopeć, Wiesław
dc.contributor.editorAli B. Mahmoud
dc.date.access2023-10-18
dc.date.accessioned2023-10-24T13:59:01Z
dc.date.available2023-10-24T13:59:01Z
dc.date.created2023-06-01
dc.date.issued2023-10-18
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>Despite the unquestionable advantages of digital transformation (DT) in organizations, the very process of DT could have an impact on the level of stress of the employees. The negative effects of the digital transformation process can be observed during the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) solutions. They are further enhanced by the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, as digital transformation has accelerated to allow for remote work. Herein we distinguish between general stress at the workplace and the very specific type of stress, namely digital transformation stress (DTS). We assumed that this type of stress appears when rapid implementation of ICT solutions is introduced with time pressure and incertitude of further results. To quantify this phenomenon, we developed a new self-report scale—the Digital Transformation Stress Scale (DTSS), measuring employees’ stress stemming from the process of digital transformation in organizations. The psychometric validity of the scale was evaluated in two studies: Study1 conducted at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (N = 229) and Study 2 in 2021 (N = 558), after a year of mostly remote work. The results confirmed good reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha α = .91 in Study 1 and α = .90 in Study 2 and assumed unidimensional factorial validity of the scale in both studies. All items of the scale had good difficulty and discrimination values evaluated in Item Response Theory, i.e., IRT approach. The scale showed predicted convergent validity as the indicator of the digital transformation stress moderately correlated with general stress at work. Moreover, the assumption that even employees with high ICT skills could be affected by DTS was confirmed. Additionally, the results indicated that digital transformation stress was significantly higher among employees who reported both issues: ongoing digital solutions projects at the workplace and high impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their work. The scale could be used in future work on measuring and counteracting digital transformation stress at the workplace.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.grantnumberPOWR.03.02.00-00-I054/16-00
dc.description.issue10
dc.description.physical1-28
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume18
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0287223
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/96
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287223
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleMeasuring digital transformation stress at the workplace–Development and validation of the digital transformation stress scale
dc.title.journalPLOS ONE
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle