AI-Augmented Decision Intuition and SME Strategic Adaptability among SMEs: The Mediating Role of Human–AI Collaboration Quality and the Moderating Role of Technological Anxiety

Ashraf Hammad M. Abu Rumman; Carla Quesada-Pallares; Helena Roig-Ester; Saif Isam Aladwan

doi:10.32479/irmm.23878

Authors

Ashraf Hammad M. Abu Rumman Department of Psychology of Communication and Change, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Carla Quesada-Pallares Department of Applied Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,
Helena Roig-Ester Department of Nursing, Terrassa University School of Nursing and Occupational Therapy (EUIT), Terrassa, Spain,
Saif Isam Aladwan School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.23878

Keywords:

Small Medium Size Enterprises, Technological Anxiety, Human-AI Collaboration, Artificial Intelligence, Decision-Making

Abstract

South Asian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are actively implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in their management operations, but the cognitive and behavioural consequences of AI-enhanced decision-making are under research. This research, based on the socio-technological systems theory and the dynamic capabilities theory, evaluates the effects of AI-enhanced intuition in decision-making on SMEs strategic adaptability, exploring the mediating factor of human-AI collaboration quality, and the moderating factor of technological anxiety. A total of 412 Pakistan, India and Bangladesh SME managers and owners were sampled and structured online questionnaires were administered to collect the data. The proposed relationships and model fit were tested with the help of SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0. The results indicate that AI-enhanced decision intuition positively impacts SME strategic adaptability significantly. Furthermore, human–AI collaboration quality is found to partially mediate this relationship, indicating that effective interaction between human judgment and AI systems enhances adaptive strategic outcomes. Moreover, technological anxiety plays a critical role in moderating the association between AI-augmented decision intuition and human-AI collaboration quality, whereby the association is smaller in the cases of high technological anxiety. It also mediates the direct impact, indicating that the psychological resistance to technology may impede the advantages of the AI-enabled decision-making. These outcomes add to the emerging literature on the digital transformation and SME development by emphasizing the significance of cognitive-technological integration in the strategic adaptability. In practice, the research indicates that managers of SMEs in South Asia should invest not only in AI tools but also in the confidence of their employees and alleviating anxiety about the new technologies. Lastly, theoretical implications, management recommendations and future research directions are addressed.