The Cognitive Reshaping of Digital Leadership: The Role of Managerial Metacognition in Organizational Resilience and Employee Change Anxiety in the Digital Transformation
Yinda FanAbstract
Objective
This study investigates the moderating role of managerial metacognition—leaders' awareness and regulation of their own thought processes—in the relationship between digital transformation, organizational resilience, and employee psychological well-being, with a specific focus on mitigating employee change-induced anxiety.
Subjects and Methods
A multi-wave, multi-source survey was conducted involving 320 managers and 1,025 their direct subordinates from 72 Chinese companies undergoing digital transformation. Managers completed the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and digital leadership scales. Employees reported perceptions of organizational resilience, change anxiety (using the Change-Related Anxiety Scale), and general psychological strain. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling and moderated mediation analysis.
Results
Higher managerial metacognition significantly strengthened the positive link between digital leadership behaviors and perceived organizational resilience (β = 0.48, p < 0.001). Concurrently, it weakened the positive relationship between transformation intensity and employee change anxiety (β = -0.36, p < 0.01). Teams led by high-metacognition managers reported 32% lower anxiety levels and demonstrated 28% higher change readiness. Employee psychological well-being was significantly better in these teams.
Conclusions
Managers' metacognitive ability serves as a crucial psychological resource that simultaneously builds organizational adaptive capacity and protects employee mental health during disruptive change. Fostering metacognitive development in leaders is therefore a strategic imperative for achieving sustainable digital transformation while maintaining a psychologically healthy workforce.
Corresponding Author
Yinda Fan, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, 130024, China.