Adoption of job automation technologies in the fourth industrial revolution : a managerial perspective

Abstract

The role of information technology in business has increased in prominence rapidly over recent years. The progression of technology has lead to increased anxiety amongst workers due to the anticipated unemployment that is associated with job automation technologies. It is therefore pertinent for business leaders to understand the impact that the construct of unemployment has on the adoption of such technologies. This study explores the perspectives of senior and executive managers with regards to job automation technologies. The findings of the study were obtained by conducting seventeen in-depth semi-structured interviews with representation from eight different industries. The study found that managers consider a multitude of factors when contemplating adopting job automation technologies that span across the internal and external environment as well as the technology domain. Additionally, the study found that jobs that are highly repetitive in nature are more prone to automation. The findings of this study were mostly supportive of the extant literature. By utilising the existing technology models’ new findings were discovered with regards to the negative impact of an unstable power supply, sabotage of the technology by employees as well as the current unemployment levels found in the country have on the adoption of technology. The researcher found the current technology adoption models are indeed accurate but that they omit the impact that the current unemployment rate of a country has as a moderating effect on the model. This study coherently demonstrates the importance this variable has when managers consider the adoption of technology