Trust in Algorithmic Management: The Role of Justice and Prior Discrimination Experience
Abstract
Algorithmic management (AM) is increasingly used, extending its application from labor platforms to traditional employment settings. While AM offers several benefits for organizations, such as higher efficiency of processes, workers oftentimes perceive its use as untrustworthy. We propose that perceived informational and interpersonal justice account for these perceptions. We assume that the relationship between AM use and justice perceptions is moderated by type of task conducted by the AM system and by prior discrimination experience by a (former) supervisor. To test these hypotheses, we conducted an online experiment (n=173). Our research in progress results demonstrate that AM use is negatively associated with justice and trust perceptions and that justice perceptions partially mediate the relationship between AM use and trust. Negative perceptions of AM decreased when participants had experienced discrimination by a (former) supervisor. We propose the use of AM might help to lower fear of making discrimination experiences again.
Keywords
Algorithmic Management; Trust, Discrimination; Justice