“A TIME-VARYING ECOSYSTEM MODEL OF TECHNOLOGY READINESS, INTEREST DEVELOPMENT, AND CAREER ALIGNMENT IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJCREI.813001Keywords:
Technology Readiness, Career Alignment, Creative Industry Ecosystem, Time-Varying Model, Interest Development, UTAUT, TRIAbstract
This study investigates the limitations of existing static models in explaining career development within digitally mediated creative industries. In the contemporary creative economy, career trajectories are increasingly shaped by platform-driven ecosystems, iterative participation, and continuous technological adaptation. However, dominant frameworks such as the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) remain grounded in cross-sectional and temporally stable assumptions, creating theoretical misalignment in explaining dynamic career formation. To address this gap, this study develops and empirically validates the Time-Varying Ecosystem Model of Technology Readiness, Interest Development, and Career Alignment (TVEM-TRICA). A longitudinal quantitative research design involving three waves of data collection (T1–T3) was employed. Data were analysed using cross-lagged panel modelling, latent growth modelling, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to capture reciprocal and time-dependent relationships among constructs. The findings reveal a dynamic reconfiguration of causal influence, where technology readiness significantly shapes early-stage interest (β = 0.41, p < 0.001) but diminishes over time, while interest progressively becomes the dominant predictor of career alignment (β = 0.47, p < 0.001). UTAUT constructs demonstrate declining influence across temporal stages, whereas ecosystem factors significantly moderate and mediate key relationships. This study contributes theoretically by shifting the analytical paradigm from static variance explanation to time-dependent process modelling. Practically, the proposed model offers implications for adaptive policy design, curriculum innovation, and sustainable talent development in digitally mediated creative economies.
Downloads
References
Adner, R. (2022). Ecosystem as structure: An actionable construct for strategy. Academy of Management Review, 47(2), 207–231. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2020.0489
Akkermans, J., Seibert, S. E., Mol, S. T., & Tims, M. (2022). Tales of the unexpected: Integrating career shocks in the contemporary careers literature. Journal of Management, 48(5), 1205–1230. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211010045
Amankwah-Amoah, J., Khan, Z., Wood, G., & Knight, G. (2024). Generative artificial intelligence and international business: A new frontier. International Journal of Information Management, 76, 102759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2024.102759
Baabdullah, A. M., Rana, N. P., Tamilmani, K., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2023). Consumer adoption of digital services: A systematic review and future research agenda. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 72, 103153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103153
Bridgstock, R. (2021). Employability and career development learning through social media in the creative industries. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 27(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2021.1874580
Cenamor, J., Parida, V., & Wincent, J. (2021). How entrepreneurial SMEs compete through digital platforms. Long Range Planning, 54(4), 102035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2020.102035
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Ismagilova, E. (2021). A meta-analysis of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). International Journal of Information Management, 57, 102269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102269
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Slade, E. L. (2023). Artificial intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Information Management, 71, 102642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642
Florida, R. (2021). The transformation of the creative class. Urban Studies, 58(10), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980211018145
Gong, C., & Ribiere, V. (2021). Developing a unified definition of digital transformation. Journal of Business Research, 124, 441–452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.020
Gupta, K. P., & Arora, N. (2022). Investigating consumer intention to adopt fintech services. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121041
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R. Springer.
Hirschi, A. (2021). Career adaptability development in adolescence: Multiple predictors and outcomes. Current Psychology, 40, 1346–1357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01723-5
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2021). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic Management Journal, 42(1), 4–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3131
Jiang, Z., Newman, A., Le, H., Presbitero, A., & Zheng, C. (2023). Career readiness and employability in dynamic labor markets. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 139, 103742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103742
Kapoor, R. (2023). Ecosystems: Broadening the locus of value creation. Organization Science, 34(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1594
Kshetri, N. (2023). The economics of AI adoption in industries. Telecommunications Policy, 47(3), 101932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.101932
Lent, R. W., Ireland, G. W., Penn, L. T., Morris, T. R., & Sappington, R. (2022). Sources of self-efficacy and outcome expectations in career development. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000565
Li, Y., & Sheehan, M. (2023). Career development in digital platform economies: Emerging challenges and opportunities. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 145, 103912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103912
Nauta, M. M. (2022). The development of vocational interests over time. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(2), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000305
Ratten, V. (2022). Digital entrepreneurship and innovation in creative industries. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 18, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-021-00773-5
Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Becker, J.-M., & Ringle, C. M. (2024). How to specify, estimate, and validate higher-order constructs in PLS-SEM. Australasian Marketing Journal, 32(1), 1–20.
Savickas, M. L. (2021). Career construction theory and practice. Current Psychology, 40, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01536-6
Tamilmani, K., Rana, N. P., Prakasam, N., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2021). The battle of brain vs. heart: A literature review and meta-analysis of UTAUT2. Journal of Business Research, 124, 58–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.051
Tomlinson, M. (2022). Graduate employability and career development in uncertain times. Journal of Education and Work, 35(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2022.2038351
Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2022). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation. Long Range Planning, 55(4), 102134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2022.102134
