The impact of technology on work in the twenty-first century: exploring the smart and dark side

Abstract

The twenty-first century has seen significant expansion in the use and availability of technology, which has created a paradigm shift in how we can work. The papers in this special issue explore different facets of the smart and dark side of technology and how new waves of technology also lead to significant changes in the way we work. The tensions between ‘smart and dark’ are examined in relation to the use of formal telework practices, connection between IT systems and work-life balance, social media’s potential to fundamentally change the nature and boundaries of voice in the workplace, attitudes towards workplace surveillance, and finally a critical research agenda between the interface of IT and HRM is proposed.

Keywords:

• HRM
• IT systems
• social media
• surveillance
• technology
• telework

As the next wave of technological change (big data and cloud technology) has started to emerge in the workplace, we thought it timely to explore the impact of information technology (IT) on how we work and the individual. As Morgan (2014, p. 4) notes, there are many fascinating things happening in the world of technology that are impacting on work. The use and control of IT provides an opportunity to be innovative in when we work, where we work and the way we work (time, place and space – see Harvey, 2010) in a global economy. Further, as Howcroft and Taylor (2014) point out, these innovations in labour utilization and scheduling work impact on employees’ work and how work is done as the boundaries of the organization ‘melt’ away. Indeed, they argue that society is seeing a new wave of revolutionary technology that provides the platform for significant change in the way we work. These changes are creating renewed interest in how work is conceptualized – what we describe as the ‘smart-side’ of technology. However, these advances in technology can provide an unprecedented level of electronic monitoring and surveillance of work and employees both inside and outside the workplace (Holland, Cooper, & Hecker, 2015), and have the potential to create ‘deadly combinations’ (Becker, Huselid, Pickus, & Spratt, 1997), particularly when linked with HR practices designed to develop trust and high commitment relationships. This can have a significant negative impact on work and employees – what we call the ‘dark-side’ of technology.

For this special issue, we have a diverse range of papers that explore the impact of IT on facilitating and inhibiting work patterns and practices from both the ‘smart’ and ‘dark’ perspectives. These changes are likely to increasingly impact HR policy and practice as organizations strive for competitive advantage through employees who can and are exploring new ways to work through technology.

Peters et al.’s paper investigates how nation-level cultural values (‘individualism’ and ‘collectivism’) and intra-organizational task control mechanisms influence the level of organizations’ use of formal telework practices. Their multi-level analysis of survey data from 1577 organizations within 18 nations found telework use was less likely when organizations employed direct controls (i.e. higher proportions of managers) and ‘soft’ indirect controls (i.e. higher proportions of professionals). Low use of formal telework practices was more likely when organizations employed ‘soft’ indirect controls. Given the potential of ‘smart and dark sides of telework’, they asked ‘under which conditions are organizations “fit” for telework?’. The insights from their study shed light on this question by identifying the external and internal conditions that make organizations ‘fit’ for telework. Importantly, there is potential for greater global telework access which can deliver ‘smart’ outcomes, such as higher productivity, commitment, engagement, productivity, and better work life balance for multiple stakeholders. However, on the flip side it is also important to recognize the challenges of telework management to avoid the ‘dark’ sides, such as a loss of social cohesion and information and knowledge transfer (e.g. when individualism values dominate) and a loss of work motivation and engagement (e.g. when collectivism values dominate).

Investments in IT in the health sector are mostly associated with improvements in the quality of care, efficiency and safety. However, what impact does the quality of IT have on the work-life balance experienced by employees? Bardoel and Drago’s study addresses that question using the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model and a longitudinal sample of 11,140 physicians in Australia. Controlling for a variety of factors that may also influence work-life balance, and using diverse specifications, the reported quality of IT services is positively associated with work-life balance. For HR practitioners, the results lead to two recommendations. First, at least for physicians, the role of IT systems should no longer be ignored. At a broader level, IT systems can be viewed as components of job design for physicians, so the connection between IT systems and work-life balance supports Becker and Huselid’s (2010) call for at least a partial integration of strategic HRM and job design. Second, HR practitioners need to become more involved in the selection and implementation of healthcare IT systems in order to shine a light on the ‘smart and dark’ sides of technology.

The paper by Holland, Cooper and Hecker explores one of the major phenomena of the twenty-first century, the impact of the internet on work. In linking it with the issue of voice and job satisfaction at work, they argue that social media has the potential to fundamentally change the nature and boundaries of voice in the workplace. In this context, they argue that management can either embrace it as a ‘smart’ technology to get immediate feedback from employees on issues that concern them and the organization to improve work, or ignore it with the potential it becomes a focus or outlet for venting and attacking the organization in a public forum. This ‘dark’ side of technology, was highlighted in the case of HMV, where employees were tweeting live about the retrenchment process and their treatment by the employer.

In a similar context, Martin and Grimmer explore attitudes towards workplace surveillance. They found that higher levels of perceived surveillance were associated with counter-productive work behaviours. However, they find that through being empowered at work, ‘smart’ use of technology can act as a potential buffer against the intrusions of surveillance and thus highlights the issue of the ‘deadly combination’ of human resource policies such as espousing a high trust and empowering culture whilst increasing levels of monitoring and surveillance.

This special issue concludes with a long-term perspective by Bondarouk and Brewster. In exploring future research and practice associated with new technologies and HRM, this insightful paper uses the classic ‘Harvard’ model to frame the analysis and take a more expansive view of stakeholders. They conclude with a reinforcement of the focus of this special issue, that is the need for a substantial and critical research agenda between the interface of IT and HRM.

Overall, this special issue of International Journal of Human Resource Management offers a set of insightful reviews and analysis of the dynamic relationship between technology and work as well as unique empirical contributions. The articles highlight the smart and dark side of technology and the growing importance technology has for HR researchers and practitioners. Finally, we encourage HR researchers to embrace the avenues for future research suggested in this special issue.