Humans judge, algorithms nudge: The psychology of behavior tracking acceptance
Raveendhran, R. & Fast, N.J. (2021). Humans judge, algorithms nudge: The psychology of behavior tracking acceptance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
This article examines employees’ acceptance of behavior tracking in the workplace. We theorize that people more willingly accept behavior tracking when it is conducted solely by technology (i.e., computer algorithms) rather than by humans. We posit that this is driven by the expectation that human-free tracking feels less judgmental and will, therefore, allow for a greater subjective sense of autonomy. The results of five experiments supported these predictions, revealing that participants were more likely to accept technology-operated than human-operated tracking (Experiments 1-5), an effect driven by reduced concerns about potential negative judgment, which, in turn, increased subjective sense of autonomy (Experiment 2). The stated purpose for tracking (Experiment 3), relation to the human tracker (Experiment 4), and type of behaviors tracked (Experiment 5) did not eliminate the effect. Technology-operated tracking also led to higher anticipation of intrinsic motivation (Experiments 3-4). Implications for research on the future of work are discussed.
Perrigino, M.& Raveendhran, R. (2020). Managing remote workers during quarantine: Insights from organizational research on boundary management. Behavioral Science and Policy.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of employees find
themselves working from home for the first time, and organizational
leaders and supervisors are coping with the challenge of managing remote
workers who are struggling to set and maintain a boundary between
work and home life. Using an evidence-based management approach,
we offer actionable insights into how managers can assess, create,
and support work-from-home practices that address employees’ daily
boundary control needs and challenges effectively. Our assess–create–
support framework provides a blueprint for how managers can establish
and optimize psychological and time-related work–home boundaries to
enhance remote workers’ health, well-being, and performance.
Raveendhran, R., Fast, N.J., & Carnevale, P.J. (2020). Virtual (Freedom From) Reality: Evaluation Apprehension and Leaders’ Preference for Communicating Through Avatars. Computers in Human Behavior.
Virtual reality is spreading rapidly as an emerging communication tool in organizations. The present research examines when and why leaders might prefer interacting with their subordinates virtually, via computer avatars (graphical computer representations of humans), rather than through face-to-face interactions. We examine this question in the context of monitoring and seek to understand the underlying psychology that drives leaders’ preference for interacting via avatars. Across two experiments, we tested our predictions that (1) contexts that require frequent monitoring increase leaders’ preference for interacting via avatars, and (2) this preference is driven by concerns about negative social evaluation. Results supported our predictions, indicating that contexts requiring frequent monitoring increase leaders’ preference for interacting via avatars (Experiment 1), and this effect was due to increased concerns about negative social evaluation (Experiment2). We also explored the role of personality on this effect (Experiment 2). Theoretical implications for the psychology of leadership in the digital era and the adoption of novel technologies are discussed.
How algorithms can diversify the startup pool.
2020 Outstanding Practitioner-Oriented Publication in Organizational Behavior
Hernandez, M., Raveendhran, R., Weingarten, E., & Barnett, M. (2019). How algorithms can diversify the startup pool. MIT Sloan Management Review. Feature article in print Fall 2019 issue.
In this practitioner-focused publication, we examine how data-driven approaches can help venture capital firms limit gender bias and make better, fairer investment decisions.
Technology and social evaluation: Opportunities and challenges.
Raveendhran, R., & Fast, N. J. (2019). Technology and social evaluation: Opportunities and challenges. In R. N. Landers (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Technology and Employee Behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.
In this chapter, we introduce the central idea that, in social situations where the possibility of evaluation by others is salient, technology reduces concerns about social evaluation. We build on this idea to develop insights about the psychological and behavioral consequences of novel technologies for organizational actors. Specifically, we focus on two of the most influential types of new technologies that are becoming popular in organizations – behavior-tracking technology and virtual/augmented reality. We ground our discussion of the psychological impact of these new technologies in the context of monitoring and communication, two key organizational functions that have been continually transformed by technological advances. We present a detailed discussion on behavior-tracking technology and virtual/augmented reality where we explore the opportunities and challenges of using these technologies for monitoring and communication, and examine how these technologies influence people’s experiences of social evaluation in these contexts.
Roshni Raveendhran 