Are we ahead of the trend or just following? The role of work and organizational psychology in shaping emerging technologies at work

ABSTRACT

This position paper elaborates on three core themes that emerged from a panel discussion that was held at the 21st Congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology. The authors of this paper discussed the status quo and the future of Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP) research and practice amidst the advent of emerging workplace technologies. The discussion centred on the question of what role WOP scholars and practitioners should take within this interdisciplinary field and how future research should evolve from previous studies on automation. The paper systematically examines: (1) emerging technologies as a new type of technological change, (2) WOP’s role in the design of emerging technologies and socio-technical systems, and (3) hindrances in WOP becoming more involved. Based on our reflections regarding each of these themes, we propose seven actionable recommendations to move forward and to encourage the involvement of WOP in the development and implementation of emerging technologies at work.

KEYWORDS:

• Emerging technologies
• artificial intelligence
• work and organizational psychology
• technology design
• work design

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The participation of Vicente González-Romá was supported by research grant Prometeo2021/048 from Generalitat Valenciana. In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and our ethical obligation as researchers, we are reporting that we do not have any financial or business interests or are receiving funding from a company that may be affected by the research reported in the enclosed paper.