Digital Transformation and Employee Performance in Civil Engineering Firms: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Safety and Career Resilience

Abstract

This study examines the factors influencing employee performance in privately-owned civil engineering enterprises in Guangzhou Province, China, within the context of digital transformation. The purpose of the study is to investigate how digital leadership and digital transformation affect employee performance, while exploring the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating role of career resilience. Grounded in organizational behavior and digital transformation literature, the study integrates prior findings that emphasize the importance of leadership effectiveness, psychological work environments, and individual adaptability in shaping employee outcomes during technological change. A quantitative research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire distributed among employees in civil engineering firms. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the relationships among variables, including mediation and moderation effects. The findings reveal that both digital leadership and digital transformation significantly enhance employee performance. Psychological safety was found to partially mediate these relationships, indicating that supportive and trust-based work environments strengthen the impact of leadership and technology on performance. Additionally, career resilience significantly moderates the relationship between psychological safety and employee performance, suggesting that more resilient employees benefit more from psychologically safe environments. The study concludes that employee performance in digitally transforming organizations is shaped by an integrated system of leadership, psychological, and individual factors. These findings contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8 and SDG 9) by promoting decent work, resilient organizations, and innovation-driven industrial growth.