Congratulations to Bob Everson on His Successful Dissertation Defense

Big congratulations to CIS student Bob Everson, who is now Dr. Everson!

On Thursday, April 2, 2026, Bob successfully defended his dissertation, “Coping with AI in the Workplace: Exploring Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Future of Work.” His research explores how employees are psychologically responding to the rapid integration of AI into their work environments.

The CIS community is proud to celebrate this incredible milestone!

Screenshot of a Zoom meeting showing nine participants in a 3x3 grid during a dissertation defense. The center tile highlights Bob Everson smiling, with a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa background. Other participants, including committee members, appear in home or office settings, some with bookshelves, a kitchen, or cityscape backgrounds. Most are smiling or attentive, creating a celebratory, supportive atmosphere.

Title: Coping with AI in the Workplace: Exploring Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Future of Work.

Abstract: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational systems is transforming employee job roles, work processes, and professional identities. While prior research emphasizes technological adoption and macroeconomic outcomes, less attention has been given to the psychological processes through which employees interpret and respond to AI-driven change.

Grounded on the transactional model of stress and coping, and informed by Conversation of Resources theory, this research conceptualizes AI adaptation as an evolving appraisal to the coping process.

Using a mixed-methods design, survey data from 305 white-collar employees in a Hawaiʻi-based health insurance health insurance technology organization were analyzed alongside 20 semi-structured interviews.

Quantitative regression analyses indicate that opportunity appraisal and AI self-efficacy significantly predict approach coping, whereas threat appraisal predicts avoidance coping. Social support strengthens coping engagement, while perceived organizational support functions primarily as a distal contextual resource rather than a direct behavioral predictor.

Qualitative thematic analysis identifies seven themes elaborating cognitive appraisal, emotional regulation, identity negotiation, and resource activation processes. Integrated findings advance a multi-level, resource-layered coping framework linking appraisal, proximal and distal resources, coping strategies, and well-being outcomes.

The research extends coping theory to emerging technological contexts and provides theoretically grounded implications for designing psychologically supportive and sustainable AI implementation strategies.

Committee Members:

Dr. Scott Robertson – (Dissertation Chair)
Dr. Jenifer Winter – (Committee Member – COM)
Dr. Rich Gazan – (Committee Member – LIS)
Dr. Wayne Buente – (Committee Member – COM)
Dr. Hyoung-June Park (University Representative – ARCHITECTURE)