The dark side of AI adoption: A study of innovation resistance, job dissatisfaction, and workplace complaints in the franchised retail sector

This study investigates the relationships among innovation resistance, job dissatisfaction, and various types of workplace complaints in the context of mandatory technology adoption. Our survey of 366 employees at a Taiwanese franchised convenience store brand reveals a crucial finding: contrary to prevailing assumptions, perceived innovation barriers (value, risk, tradition, and image) significantly and directly impact job dissatisfaction. Furthermore, a post-hoc mediation analysis shows that job dissatisfaction acts as a vital link, channeling the effects of these barriers into productive, venting, and malicious complaints. This research makes two key contributions by empirically refining Innovation Resistance Theory for mandatory settings and providing a new, context-specific complaint typology. Our findings offer valuable managerial insights, underscoring the importance of proactively managing perceived barriers and effectively addressing employee dissatisfaction to transform negative feedback into a catalyst for organizational improvement.