The Human Adaptation Gap: A Mechanism-Based Explanation of Behavioral Breakdown in AI-Driven Organizations
Keywords:
human adaptation gap, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, technostress, adaptive performance, organizational behavior, socio-technical systemsAbstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation have accelerated organizational systems, creating environments characterized by increasing complexity, speed, and uncertainty. Despite significant technological advancements, organizations continue to face persistent human-related challenges, including technostress, burnout, disengagement, and resistance to change. Existing research has examined these issues from fragmented perspectives, focusing separately on technological capabilities, human resource development, and individual behavior, without adequately explaining the underlying mechanisms linking system-level transformation to human-level breakdown. This study addresses this gap by introducing the concept of the Human Adaptation Gap, defined as the structural misalignment between the exponential acceleration of socio-technical systems and the inherently bounded capacity of human adaptation. Drawing on insights from artificial intelligence, organizational behavior, technostress, and socio-technical systems theory, this paper develops a mechanism-based conceptual framework explaining how system acceleration generates cognitive overload, emotional strain, and identity disruption, leading to behavioral outcomes such as disengagement and resistance. The study contributes by proposing a novel construct, advancing a mechanism-based explanation, and integrating fragmented research streams into a unified framework. The findings offer important implications for human-centered digital transformation and adaptive organizational design.
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