Online teaching during COVID-19 crisis: the role of technostress and emotional dissonance on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity

Purpose Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, higher education institutions (HEI) all over the world have transitioned to online teaching. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technostress and negative emotional dissonance on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity. Design/methodology/approach Survey methodology was used to collect data from faculty members in Jordanian universities. A total of 217 responses were analyzed to test the research model. Findings The research findings reveal that technostress creators have various impact on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity. Negative emotional dissonance has positive impact on both online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity. Further, online teaching exhaustion is negatively associated with teaching staff productivity. Research limitations/implications This research extends prior literature on technostress by examining the phenomenon in abnormal conditions (during a crisis). It further integrates technostress theory with emotional dissonance theory to better understand the impact of technostress creators on individual teaching staff productivity while catering for the interactional nature of teaching which is captured through emotional dissonance theory. Practical implications The research offers valuable insights for HEI and policymakers on how to support teaching staff and identifies strategies that should facilitate a smooth delivery of online education. Originality/value Unlike prior research that have examined technostress under normal operational conditions, this research examines the impact of technostress during a crisis. This study shows that technostress creators vary in their impact. Moreover, this study integrates technostress theory with emotional dissonance theory. While technostress theory captures the impact of technostress creators on individual teaching staff productivity, emotional dissonance theory captures the dynamic nature of the teaching process that involves interactions among teachers and students.