Digital motivational dichotomy as a conceptual basis of human resource management under digitalization

Abstract

The digitalization of business processes has fundamentally altered the conditions under which human resource management (HRM) operates. This paper argues that digital HRM tools inherently produce two opposing sets of outcomes: on one hand, measurable gains in productivity, process transparency, and organizational flexibility; on the other, a gradual erosion of employee engagement, rising burnout rates, and the deterioration of workplace social bonds. Critically, these effects are not mutually exclusive. The same digital solution can simultaneously enhance operational performance and undermine the motivational climate. Despite growing scholarly interest in adjacent areas, a unified conceptual framework for understanding this tension remains absent from Ukrainian management science.
This study addresses that gap by introducing the concept of the “digital motivational dichotomy” as a new theoretical construct. The research draws on conceptual analysis, synthesis, and systematic literature review, with the construct grounded in the dialectical principle of the unity of opposites and built upon an original synthesis of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci) and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. The paper makes three principal contributions: it proposes a formal definition of the construct, develops a structural model of the dichotomy, and identifies three governing principles – motivational component correspondence, temporal asymmetry of effects, and risk cumulativity. The resulting framework enables both a systemic diagnosis of motivational contradictions in digitalized environments and the development of evidence-based HRM strategies for proactive risk management across the stages of digital transformation.