Moderating effect of digital safety on employees’ adaptive performance in a virtual working environment

Authors

  • Norfadzilah Razak Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/jeeir.v14i1.8699

Keywords:

Adaptive Performance, Digital Skill, Digital Safety, Virtual Work

Abstract

Changes in the virtual working environment have raised attention of the importance and advantages of employees in the education sector. The start of virtual working environment has begun following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workplaces. Academics and non-academics have adopted virtual work practice to mitigate adverse effects on their employees' health and performance. This change enables them to adapt to virtual work, and this new norm has opened up the landscape for employees to perform tasks effectively. This study examines the relationship between work practices, organizational dynamics, and technology on adaptive performance which encompasses learning capabilities and problem-solving skills with digital safety serving as a moderating factor among academic and non-academic staff at several selected local universities in Malaysia. A survey and a structural equation model, using SmartPLS were applied to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that organizational dynamic factors had no significant influence on learning capabilities and problem-solving skills. In contrast, work practices had a significant influence on problem-solving, but this finding contradicted the results on learning , as work practices also had no significant influence on learning. Meanwhile, the technology had a significant influence on learning capabilities and problem-solving skills. This study suggests that the use of technology in virtual workspaces provides evidence to enhance employees' adaptive performance, thereby sustaining the effectiveness of high-performance work practices (HPWPs).

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Published

2026-01-31

How to Cite

Moderating effect of digital safety on employees’ adaptive performance in a virtual working environment. (2026). Journal of Emerging Economies and Islamic Research, 14(1), 8699. https://doi.org/10.24191/jeeir.v14i1.8699