The dark side of digitalization: examining the impact of digital overload on job autonomy and job satisfaction
| Date | 13 August 2024 |
| Pages | 354-371 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-07-2023-0091 |
| Published date | 13 August 2024 |
| Author | Abdulrazaq Kayode Abdulkareem,Abdulrasaq Ajadi Ishola,Muhammed Lawan Bello,Abdulhakeem Adejumo |
The dark side of digitalization:
examining the impact of digital
overload on job autonomy and
job satisfaction
Abdulrazaq Kayode Abdulkareem,Abdulrasaq Ajadi Ishola and
Muhammed Lawan Bello
Department of Public Administration, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria, and
Abdulhakeem Adejumo
Department of Political Science, Federal University Dutse, Dutse, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to investigatethe effects of digital overload on job autonomy and job satisfaction
among civilservants in the Nigerian public sector using the job demand–resources model.
Design/methodology/approach –A questionnaire survey was conducted among mid-career and senior-
level officers in five federal ministries in Nigeria. The collected data were analyzed by using structural
equation modeling partial least squares to test the research hypotheses and necessary condition analysis to
assess the necessaryconditions for high satisfaction amongcivil servants.
Findings –The study reveals that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has a
significant positive impacton digital overload. Furthermore, digital overload has a significantnegative effect
on job autonomy and adversely affects job satisfaction. Additionally, job autonomy partially mediates the
relationship between digital overload and job satisfaction. Job autonomy and ICT use were found to be
necessaryconditions for high satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications –The study acknowledges certain limitations, such as the focus on
civil servantsin federal ministries in Nigeria and the reliance on self-reported data.
Practical implications –The findings of this study have practical implications for policymakers in the
Nigerian civil service. They highlight the importance of reducing digital overload and promoting job
autonomy to enhance job satisfaction, as well as to improve the overall performance and efficiency of the
public sector.
Originality/value –This study contributesto the existing literature by providing insights into the detrimental
effects of digital overload on civil servants’job autonomy and satisfaction in the Nigerian public sector. It
explores a relatively unexplored aspect of digitalization and emphasizes the need to address the negative
implicationsof digital overload. Additionally,it examines the necessary conditionsfor high satisfaction among
civil servants.
Keywords Digital overload, Job autonomy, Job satisfaction, Public sector, Civil servants
Paper type Research paper
The authors wish to appreciate the efforts of the reviewers and the editors in making this manuscript
better and worthy of reading.
Conflict of interest declaration: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the
publication of this article.
Data availability: The data used in this study are available upon reasonable request to the
corresponding author.
JICES
22,3
354
Received5 July 2023
Revised19 December 2023
12February 2024
23April 2024
31May 2024
Accepted25 July 2024
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.22 No. 3, 2024
pp. 354-371
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-07-2023-0091
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1477-996X.htm
Introduction
Job satisfaction is a critical determinant of organizational performance and employee well-
being (Memon et al.,2023;Shan et al., 2022). However, in recent years public sector
employees have reported declining job satisfaction due to increasing workloads, role
ambiguity and limited autonomy(Jiang et al., 2020;Ta har et al., 2022). This trend threatens
the sustainability of public services, as dissatisfied employees are more likely to experience
burnout and exit their organizations (Mijakoski et al., 2022). Therefore, understanding and
addressing the drivers of job dissatisfaction in the public sector has become an urgent
concern. One potential driver of declining job satisfaction that has received increasing
attention is digital overload –the stress from excessive use of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) (Tarafdaret al., 2019). As public organizations digitize
their operations, employees face mountingpressures to process more information and make
quicker decisions facilitated by ICTs. This digital overload can negatively impact employee
well-being and undermine job satisfaction (Ninaus et al., 2021). However, research on this
phenomenon in developingcountry public sectors remains limited.
The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2017) posits that
high job demands paired with inadequatejob resources such as autonomy can increase strain
and undermine employee well-being. Digital overload acts as a demand that reducescivil
servants’sense of workplace control and freedom (autonomy), in turn lowering their job
satisfaction. Greater autonomy buffers negative overload effects on satisfaction (Zeshan
et al., 2023). Therefore, aligning with these models, recent studies reveal that digital
overload imposed by extensive ICT use can decrease public sector job satisfaction by
elevating demands and interrupting work routines(Rasool et al.,2022;Tandon et al., 2022).
This issue is particularly salient in Nigeria,which has actively promoted digitalization
initiatives such as e-governance systems, automated workflow tools, data analytics
capabilities and online portals to improve public sector efficiency and service delivery
quality (Abdulkareem and Ishola, 2016). The rapid adoption of these technologies has
profoundly transformed civil service operations and job demands over recent years
(Abdulkareem and Ramli,2021).
While the adoption of ICT has yielded some efficiency benefits for civil services in
Nigeria, it has also come at certain costs for public sector employees. Specifically, the
increased reliance on ICT systems such as cloud-based apps, enterprise software, workflow
management platforms and digital communications channels has exposed civil servants to
heightened job demands and work pace (Esechie et al., 2022). Employees are under
mounting pressures to learn and continuously engage with multiple complex systems,
navigate frequent alerts and notifications, as well as compile, analyze and present large
volumes of information in condensed timeframes facilitated by ICTs (Yulianto et al., 2021;
Sulistyowati et al.,2020).
While recent studies have explained technostress and negative digitalization
consequences in privatesector and Western contexts (e.g. Martinet al., 2022;Tarafdar et al.,
2019), there remains a dearthof empirical evidence within developing country public sector
organizations. In particular, the linkagesbetween increasing ICT adoption, erodingjob
autonomy and declining employee satisfaction are not well understood in the contextof
Nigeria’s ambitiousdigital governance agenda. As e-governance transformationsaccelerate,
public sector employees contendwith multiplying online demands that may undermine their
workplace decision latitude and well-being. As the majority of existing public sector
technostress research concentrates on Western and developed country contexts, the
transferability of findings becomes uncertain given Nigeria’s distinct institutional realities
such as limited e-readinessresources and infrastructural deficiencies(Abdulkareem, 2015).
Journal of
Information,
Communication
and Ethics in
Society
355
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