FACULTY WORK ENGAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ERA: THE ROLES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND JOB SATISFACTION IN ACADEMIC HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Digital transformation has intensified the demands placed on university faculty in teaching, research, and professional development. In this context, academic human capital development (AHCD) is a strategic concern. This study examines the effects of organizational culture and job satisfaction on faculty work engagement and tests its mediating role in AHCD. Using PLS-SEM, the study finds that organizational culture and job satisfaction positively influence work engagement, which fully mediates their impact on AHCD. The findings highlight faculty engagement as the central motivational pathway for human capital growth in the digital era. In this study, digital transformation is treated as an active catalyst that imposes new technological demands, requiring institutional resources to be converted into human capital specifically through the mechanism of engagement.