Organisational Adoption of Automation Technologies Literature Review

This paper provides a review of research on technology adoption, and its impact on work and workers. We summarize key strands of evidence about technology adoption, from the diffusion of innovations paradigm, rational choice models of technology adoption, the sociotechnical systems perspective, and the social construction of technology perspective. While diverse in approach, research points to the importance of decision maker perceptions concerning the perceived returns from a new technology, the technical challenges, and the fit with their organisation. These factors are impacted by organisational characteristics and contextual factors such as workforce, geography and institutional support. The degree of employee involvement and readiness are significant factors influencing adoption. Relative to recent interest in the impacts of technology on the labour market, there has been less attention paid to technologies’ impacts on the conditions and experience of work. What is apparent is that technology can both enhance and diminish the conditions of work – either increasing autonomy and learning opportunities, or equally, increasing monitoring and routinisation. Neither implementation nor impacts on jobs, work and workers are deterministic but are a function of managerial choices made in the contexts of their organisations and social institutions. We close with a description of the next phase of the research project within the Pissarides Review of the Future of Work and Wellbeing, which builds from this evidence.