Organizational psychological ownership drives employee-AI collaboration via AI crafting under paternalistic leadership

Why People and Smart Machines Need to Get Along

As artificial intelligence moves from science fiction to front desk and factory floor, many workers wonder whether these systems are here to replace them or to help them. This study looks at a more hopeful possibility: when employees feel that their organization is truly “theirs,” and when leaders provide firm but caring guidance, people and AI tools can become effective teammates rather than rivals.

Feeling at Home at Work

The researchers focus on a simple but powerful idea: people behave differently when they feel they “own” their workplace in a psychological sense. This feeling of organizational psychological ownership is less about legal rights and more about identity—seeing the organization’s success and future as tied to one’s own. In such a mindset, new technologies like AI are not just imposed gadgets; they are part of “our” collective toolkit. The study argues that this ownership can make employees more willing to work with AI systems, even when those systems introduce uncertainty about roles, skills, and job security.

Leaders Who Act Like Firm but Caring Parents

The study is set in Chinese service companies, where a leadership style known as paternalistic leadership is common. These leaders blend three elements: warmth and personal care, strong moral standards, and clear authority. In times of rapid technological change, such leaders can calm fears, offer ethical reassurance, and provide structure. The authors propose that this combination sends strong signals that AI is being introduced for the good of the organization and its people, encouraging employees to channel their sense of ownership into constructive action rather than resistance.

How Workers “Craft” Their Jobs Around AI

A key concept in the study is “AI crafting,” which describes how employees actively reshape their tasks and workflows to make AI a useful partner. Instead of passively following new procedures, workers experiment with new ways of dividing labor between themselves and AI systems—letting machines handle repetitive tasks while they focus on complex problem-solving, creativity, and human interaction. The researchers propose that when employees feel strong psychological ownership, they are more likely to engage in this kind of crafting, turning AI from a perceived threat into a tool that supports both organizational goals and personal meaning at work.

Evidence from Service Workers in China

To test these ideas, the authors surveyed 633 employees from nine hospitality and service firms in Beijing and Shanghai that use AI-powered service robots and systems. Over three rounds of questionnaires, they measured employees’ sense of psychological ownership, their perceptions of their leaders’ paternalistic style, how much they engaged in AI crafting, and how deeply they actually collaborated with AI at work. Statistical analyses showed that employees who felt stronger ownership of their organization were more likely to reshape their work around AI and to report higher levels of joint work with AI systems. AI crafting partly explained how ownership translated into collaboration.

When Leadership Makes All the Difference

Leadership style turned out to be a powerful amplifier. In workplaces where paternalistic leadership was strong—where leaders were caring, principled, and clearly in charge—the links between psychological ownership, AI crafting, and collaboration with AI were much stronger. In settings with weaker paternalistic leadership, ownership did less to encourage employees to redesign their work or to collaborate closely with AI. In other words, feeling that “this is my organization” mattered most when leaders also created a safe, fair, and well-structured environment for experimenting with AI.

What This Means for the Future of Work

For readers outside academia, the message is straightforward: successful human–AI teamwork is not just about better algorithms or slicker apps. It depends on whether employees feel invested in their organization and whether leaders guide them through change with both care and authority. When people feel at home at work and are encouraged to creatively adjust their jobs, AI can become a partner that enhances their roles rather than undermining them. The study suggests that building psychological ownership and adopting supportive, principled leadership may be just as important as buying the latest AI system for creating workplaces where humans and machines truly collaborate.

Citation: Zhang, Q., Wang, F. & Liao, G. Organizational psychological ownership drives employee-AI collaboration via AI crafting under paternalistic leadership. Sci Rep 16, 14245 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36152-7

Keywords: employee-AI collaboration, psychological ownership, AI in the workplace, leadership style, service industry