Digital Fluency as a Missing Mechanism in Government Digital Transformation: Linking Digital Literacy, Technostress, and Employee Performance
Keywords:
Employee performance, Human resources management, Dinamic Capabilities Theory, Technostress, Digital fluency
Abstract
This study examines the effects of digital literacy and technostress on employee performance through digital fluency among Indonesian civil servants implementing the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE). Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, it proposes that digital literacy enhances digital fluency and performance, while technostress reduces both outcomes, with digital fluency serving as a mediating mechanism. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed using survey data from 252 civil servants selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected between February and April 2026 through online questionnaires and analyzed using PROCESS Macro Model 4 in SPSS with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Measurement validity and reliability were confirmed, and Spearman correlation was applied due to non-normal data distribution. Results indicate that digital literacy significantly improves digital fluency and employee performance, whereas technostress significantly reduces digital fluency but does not directly affect performance. Digital fluency partially mediates the relationship between digital literacy and performance and fully mediates the relationship between technostress and performance. The findings suggest that performance in digital government environments depends largely on employees’ ability to convert digital skills into digital fluency. Organizations should therefore prioritize digital fluency development and technostress reduction through targeted training and improved system design.
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References
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26. Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z
27. Tiwari, V. (2020). Countering effects of technostress on productivity: Moderating role of proactive personality. Benchmarking An International Journal, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2020-0313
28. Twizeyimana, J. D., & Andersson, A. (2019). The public value of E-Government – A literature review. Government Information Quarterly, 36(2), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.01.001
29. van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-Century Skills and 21st-Century Digital Skills for Workers: A Systematic Literature Review. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244019900176. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900176
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31. Wang, H., Ding, H., & Kong, X. (2022). Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: The roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity. International Journal of Manpower, 44. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2021-0480
32. Wildan Hashona & Elok Pusparini. (2026). Digital Strain at Work: Technostress, Work Engagement, and Burnout among Public Sector Employees. EKOMBIS REVIEW: Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Dan Bisnis, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.37676/ekombis.v14i1.8665
2. Astrialita, P., & Azizatun Nafi’ah, B. (2025). Tingkat Literasi Digital ASN Terhadap Aplikasi Kepegawaian Di Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Jurnal Administrasi Publik Dan Pemerintahan, 4(1), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.55850/simbol.v4i1.175
3. Berger, M., Schäfer, R., Schmidt, M., Regal, C., & Gimpel, H. (2023). How to prevent technostress at the digital workplace: A Delphi study. Journal of Business Economics, 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-023-01159-3
4. Caton, A., Bradshaw-Wardis, D., Kinshuk, K., & Savenye, W. (2022). Future Directions for Digital Literacy Fluency using Cognitive Flexibility Research: A Review of Selected Digital Literacy Paradigms and Theoretical Frameworks. Journal of Learning for Development, 9, 381–393. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.818
5. Dutta, D., & Mishra, S. K. (2023). “Technology is killing me!”: The moderating effect of organization home-work interface on the linkage between technostress and stress at work. Information Technology & People, 37(6), 2203–2222. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2022-0169
6. Garland, R. (1991). The Mid-Point on a Rating Scale: Is it Desirable? Marketing Bulletin, 2(2), 66–70. https://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/v2/mb_v2_n3_garland.pdf
7. Gil-Garcia, J. R., Dawes, S. S., & Pardo, T. A. (2018). Digital government and public management research: Finding the crossroads. Public Management Review, 20(5), 633–646. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2017.1327181
8. Hayes, A. F. (2022). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach (3rd ed.). Guilford Publications.
9. Israyudin, R., Arrofi, F., & Dwiardi, A. (2025). Digital Transformation through Electronic-Based Government System Policy in Indonesia: A Policy Narrative Analysis. Journal La Sociale, 6, 281–292. https://doi.org/10.37899/journal-la-sociale.v6i2.1825
10. Kholifah, N., Nurtanto, M., Sutrisno, V. L. P., Majid, N. W. A., Subakti, H., Daryono, R. W., & Achmadi, A. (2025). Unlocking workforce readiness through digital employability skills in vocational education Graduates: A PLS-SEM analysis based on human capital Theory. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101625
11. Koch, C., & Fehlmann, F. (2025). Beyond Digital Literacy: Exploring Factors Affecting Digital Performance of University Staff. Media and Communication, 13. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.8913
12. Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., de Vet, H. C. W., & van der Beek, A. J. (2014). Measuring individual work performance: Identifying and selecting indicators. Work (Reading, Mass.), 48(2), 229–238. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-131659
13. Krosnick, J. A., & Presser, S. (2010). Question and Questionnaire Design. In Handbook of Survey Research, Second Edition. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
14. Lasrado, B. S., Panakaje, N., & Parvin, S. M. R. (2026). Untangling techno-stress and entrepreneurial burnout: The conditional role of digital competence and social support as coping mechanisms in rural entrepreneurship. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-08-2025-0518
15. Makhafola, L., van Deventer, M. J., Holmner, M. A., & van Wyk, B. (2025). A scoping review of digital literacy, digital competence, digital fluency and digital dexterity in academic libraries’ context. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 51(3), 103053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2025.103053
16. Mansuroğlu, E., & Smith, A. P. (2026). Technostress and employee well-being: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 21, 100941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2026.100941
17. Meitania, F., Azhar, & Alamsyah. (2026). Digital Literacy and Intention to Adopt E-Government (a Survey of Regional Inspectorate Employee in South Sumatra Province) in 2023. Al-Kharaj: Journal of Islamic Economic and Business, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.24256/kharaj.v7i4.8482
18. Mondigo, G., Balbao, E., Pagurayan, L., Paglinawan, J., & of Education, S. (2023). Digital Fluency on Students’ Problem-Solving Skills. 4, 125–137. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10435793
19. Nikou, S., De Reuver, M., & Mahboob Kanafi, M. (2022). Workplace literacy skills—How information and digital literacy affect adoption of digital technology. Journal of Documentation, 78(7), 371–391. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2021-0241
20. Nyeleker, K. P., Mutiarin, D., & Barrow, E. (2025). From E-Government to Digital Government: SmartASN as a Sustainable Digital Innovation in Indonesia’s Public Sector. Public Accounting and Sustainability, 2. https://doi.org/10.18196/pas.v2i1.23
21. Pengfei, D., Imran, M., & Hye, A. K. M. (2026). Digital literacy and technostress as dual pathways linking work-from-home practices to employee performance: Evidence from the post-digital workplace. Acta Psychologica, 264, 106458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106458
22. Ren, J., Guo, J., & Li, H. (2025). Linking digital competence, self-efficacy, and digital stress to perceived interactivity in AI-supported learning contexts. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 33182. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-18873-3
23. Rusmini, R., Alamsah Deliarnoor, N., Yuningsih, N. Y., & Sagita, N. I. (2025). Rethinking e-government failure: A readiness-based assessment of Indonesia’s digitalization efforts. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1), 2559867. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2559867
24. Sanjeeva Kumar, P. (2024). TECHNOSTRESS: A comprehensive literature review on dimensions, impacts, and management strategies. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 16, 100475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100475
25. Tarafdar, M., Cooper, C., & Stich, J.-F. (2019). The Technostress Trifecta—Techno Eustress, Techno Distress and Design: Theoretical Directions and an Agenda for Research. Information Systems Journal, 29, 6–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12169/full
26. Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z
27. Tiwari, V. (2020). Countering effects of technostress on productivity: Moderating role of proactive personality. Benchmarking An International Journal, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2020-0313
28. Twizeyimana, J. D., & Andersson, A. (2019). The public value of E-Government – A literature review. Government Information Quarterly, 36(2), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.01.001
29. van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-Century Skills and 21st-Century Digital Skills for Workers: A Systematic Literature Review. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244019900176. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900176
30. Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. SI: Review Issue, 28(2), 118–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003
31. Wang, H., Ding, H., & Kong, X. (2022). Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: The roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity. International Journal of Manpower, 44. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2021-0480
32. Wildan Hashona & Elok Pusparini. (2026). Digital Strain at Work: Technostress, Work Engagement, and Burnout among Public Sector Employees. EKOMBIS REVIEW: Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Dan Bisnis, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.37676/ekombis.v14i1.8665
Published
2026-06-26
How to Cite
Utari, B., & Singagerda, F. S. (2026). Digital Fluency as a Missing Mechanism in Government Digital Transformation: Linking Digital Literacy, Technostress, and Employee Performance. International Journal of Economics, Business, and Entrepreneurship, 9(1), 32-44. https://doi.org/10.23960/ijebe.v9i1.441
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2026 Bertilia Utari, Faurani Santi Singagerda
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
