Faculty agility mediates the association between AI-enabled digital transformation and sustainable work outcomes in indian higher education

Digital transformation powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has triggered changes in teaching, research, and academic work practices of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). While research has studied digitalization in higher education from various dimensions, scant literature has explored how adoption of AI technologies and organizational digital capabilities associated with faculty members’ sustainable work outcomes. This study aims to explore how perceived usefulness was positively associated with AI adoption and faculty agility, how digital readiness and organizational support positively associated with faculty agility, and how faculty agility positively related to sustainable work outcomes while partially mediating the relationship between dimensions of digital transformation and faculty’s sustainable work outcomes in Indian HEIs.

Underpinned by the theoretical lens of Technology Acceptance Model, Socio-Technical Systems Theory, and Dynamic Capability Theory, this quantitative study used cross-sectional survey research design with primary data collected from 497 faculty members working in public and private HEIs in India. Structural equation modeling technique was used with IBM SPSS 29 and AMOS 28 software. Results indicated that perceived usefulness positively associated with AI adoption and faculty agility.

Digital readiness and organizational support positively and significantly associated with faculty agility which in turn significantly associated with sustainable work outcomes while partially mediating the relationships between dimensions of digital transformation and sustainable work outcomes. Findings also indicated that organizational support was one of the strongest associated factors of faculty agility within digitally transforming academic ecosystems. This study contributes to AI-enabled digital transformation literature in higher education settings by addressing its practical significance for university administrators and policy-makers toward building agile faculty workforce, faculty-supportive ecosystem, and digitally ready environment to sustain faculty’s technology-enabled work outcomes.

Authors acknowledge all the faculty who responded to our survey. Open access funding provided by Symbiosis International (Deemed University). Faculty, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Hyderabad, India K.

Prasad, Shivoham Singh, Ridhi Rani & Debanjan Nag Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India K. Prasad, Shivoham Singh, Rajesh Vaidya, Ridhi Rani & Debanjan Nag Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Nagpur, India General Management Area, Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai, India The authors declare no competing interests. Institutional ethical approval was obtained from Institute Research and Ethics Committee, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management Hyderabad, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University vide approval letter dated November, 2025 vide letter N. 13/2025 The study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Electronic consent was taken from all the participants before participating in the survey. They were informed about the purpose of the study and assured about confidentiality of their responses. Participants were informed that their participation was completely voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any point of time.