Theorizing the Adoption and Governance of Wearable Tech in the Workplace

• In Event: Data Bodies at Work

Abstract

While extant research has identified a myriad of ways employers introduce general informational technology to the workplace, the rise of wearable technology produces novel challenges, due to its extensive monitoring and control capabilities. In this article, we develop a new theoretical framework that categorizes employers’ adoption approaches into three paradigms. We apply this framework to various wearable technology adoption contexts and derive a set of attendant propositions, including implications for governance and employee reception. We discuss how our framework contributes to strategic management, organizational theory, and STS literature. This article lays out key considerations employers should have when introducing wearable technology into the workplace. We ask: In the specific case of wearables, how will the employer’s attitude toward technology adoption impact both technology governance and employees’ reception of the new wearable technology? To address this research question, we develop a new generalizable framework that explains the different types of wearables and why they are adopted. The framework further shows how employer adoption attitude can influence how employers choose to govern the use of the new technology and how employees will subsequently react to it.

Author

• Ifeoma Ajunwa, Cornell IRL School