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Technology, Power, and the Organization: Wearable Technologies and Their Implications for the Performance Appraisal

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Performance Appraisal in Modern Employment Relations

Abstract

Ubiquitous technologies may offer interesting opportunities for both employers and employees to exert power within organizations with implications for workers performance improvement and assessment. However, along with these opportunities there are many hidden risks. Through a meta analysis concerning the adoption of wearable technologies at work, the chapter investigates the critical role played by such technologies in shaping power within workplaces and related opportunities for the design of workers performance appraisal systems. After a background analysis regarding the relationship between power, technology and the organization, an investigation of the use of wearable devices within organizations and their meanings with respect to issues of power follows. The chapter ends with a SWOT analysis concerning the implications of these digital tools for the design of workers performance appraisal systems, and conclusions and future research proposals drawn.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cultures, Politics, and Society, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Lia Tirabeni

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  1. Lia Tirabeni
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Correspondence to Lia Tirabeni .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Tindara Addabbo

  2. Department of Law, Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy

    Edoardo Ales

  3. Marco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Ylenia Curzi

  4. Marco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Tommaso Fabbri

  5. Marco Biagi Foundation, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Olga Rymkevich

  6. Marco Biagi Foundation, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Iacopo Senatori

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Tirabeni, L. (2020). Technology, Power, and the Organization: Wearable Technologies and Their Implications for the Performance Appraisal. In: Addabbo, T., Ales, E., Curzi, Y., Fabbri, T., Rymkevich, O., Senatori, I. (eds) Performance Appraisal in Modern Employment Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26538-0_4

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