ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicLeading Multigenerational Adaptation to Change: Cross-Industry and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Leadership and Change ReceptivityView all articles
Techno-uncertainty and organisational counterproductive work behaviour among Generation X employees in a South African State-Owned Enterprise: The moderating role of gender
Provisionally accepted
Crispen Chipunza1*
Lovemore Tendai Chipunza2- 1Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- 2Rural electrification Agency (REA), Zimbabwe, Mutare, Zimbabwe
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The introduction of digital technological tools and systems by organisations continues to be studied in terms of their impact on humans. Current literature on the impact has focused more on technostress as a combined variable, with little attention given to how its specific dimensions predict negative behavioural outcomes across different generations and contexts. This study investigates the effect of techno-uncertainty on organisational counterproductive work behaviour among Generation X employees and whether gender influences this relationship. We hypothesise that male and female Generation X employees will experience techno-uncertainty differently, resulting in varying levels of counterproductive work behaviour. Quantitative data were collected from 230 full-time Generation X employees, selected conveniently. SMART PLs 4.0 was utilised to explore how techno-uncertainty influences organisational counterproductive work behaviour and the moderating role of gender. The study showed a significant effect of techno-uncertainty on counterproductive work behaviour and a moderating effect of gender. The findings highlight the impact of technology on Generation X employees within the context of digitalisation in the African workplace. They offer valuable insights for designing gender and generation-sensitive technological change strategies in the digital age.
Keywords: Counterproductive work behaviour, State-owned enterprises, Techno-uncertainty, gender, Technology
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 08 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chipunza and Chipunza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Crispen Chipunza
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