Digital transformation and career sustainability in rapidly reforming healthcare systems: thriving at work as a boundary condition

Purpose Digital transformation is reshaping healthcare systems, yet limited evidence exists on how such large-scale technological change influences the sustainability of healthcare professionals' careers. This study examines the relationship between digital transformation and career outcomes in healthcare and investigates thriving at work as a psychological boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the socially embedded model of thriving and career construction theory, the study adopts a time-lagged design. Survey data were collected from healthcare workers working in hospitals undergoing rapid digital reform across two waves separated by six weeks. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and moderated regression techniques. Findings The results show that digital transformation is positively associated with career adaptability, career optimism, and subjective career success. Thriving significantly moderates these relationships. Among the Saudi healthcare workers studied, the positive associations between digital transformation and career outcomes were stronger at higher levels of thriving and weaker at lower levels of thriving. Research limitations/implications The study relies on a two-wave time-lagged design and non-probability sampling within the Saudi healthcare system, which limits causal inference and the generalizability of findings. Practical implications The findings suggest that healthcare leaders may benefit from complementing investments in digital infrastructure with managerial practices that support clinicians' vitality and learning to sustain workforce effectiveness. Originality/value This study advances healthcare organization and management scholarship by conceptualizing career outcomes as system-embedded indicators of workforce sustainability under digital reform. By identifying thriving as a boundary condition, the study provides insight into how thriving may condition the association between digital transformation and career outcomes among Saudi healthcare workers.