The Effect of Digital Readiness and Digital Skill on Innovative Work Behavior: the Mediating Role of Work Engagement Among Automotive Account Executives

Felix Tiberias Kristanto; Hujjatullah Fazlurrahman

doi:10.38142/jtep.v6i4.2094

Authors

Felix Tiberias Kristanto State University of Surabaya, Indonesia
Hujjatullah Fazlurrahman State of University Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38142/jtep.v6i4.2094

Keywords:

Digital Readiness, Digital Skill, Work Engagement, Innovative Work Behavior, Automotive Account Executive

Abstract

The development of digital technology has increased competition in Indonesia automotive industry, then AE must make work using digital-based in order to continue innovating. The study analyzed the effect of digital readiness and digital skill on innovative work behavior automotive Account Executive (AEs) in Surabaya, with work engagement as a mediating variable. This study uses a quantitative approach, with a primary data through questionnaire online from the automotive AEs in Surabaya using sampling purposive technique, then analyzed with PLS-SEM approach and software SmartPLS. The results indicate that there is a direct, positive and significant impact of digital readiness towards innovative work behavior, and does not significantly impacted to work engagement.. Digital skill, on the other hand, has a positive and significant effect on both innovative work behavior and work engagement. Testing of the mediating mechanism shows that work engagement can play a role in bridging the relationship between digital skill and innovative work behavior, yet shows no such role for digital readiness. These findings explain that psychological readiness and practical digital competence actually operate through different pathways: digital readiness drives innovation only through a direct pathway, whereas digital skill drives innovation both directly and indirectly by strengthening employees' psychological involvement in their work. This study also enriches Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory by revealing two pathways toward innovative behavior in a sales context driven by digitalization, while offering digital insight for automotive companies in designing digital training that builds technical skills alongside employee engagement to sustain innovative selling practices.

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