Designing employee control: a comparative case study of algorithm design for monitoring and directing call centre agents

Ashraf, Mehreen 2024. Designing employee control: a comparative case study of algorithm design for monitoring and directing call centre agents. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis explores employee control in the context of the design of recommender systems- algorithms that pair, monitor and direct call centre agents. Research on employee control has been abundant in exploring employee experiences of being directed, monitored and incentivised through algorithms. However, the design side of these algorithms has been rendered theoretically and empirically under-developed. By introducing the framework of ‘control through design’, I develop the notion that through the interplay of values and interests of those involved in design, certain algorithms are intended to contribute towards the control of employees in organisations. Moreover, the critical theorist perspective underpinning this thesis opens the black box of algorithms by questioning the often hidden design process capable of regulating employees in organisations. The research draws on interview data from design teams of two AI vendors- organisations that design recommender systems used in call centres. A comparative case study of the design teams across the two AI vendors, a for-profit in the economic sector and a not-for-profit in the voluntary sector was conducted between 2021 and 2022. The analysis of narratives of those in the design teams identifies employee control as an intrinsic feature of algorithm design. It distinguishes between the two cases in terms of their outcomes for control of call centre agents as end-users of these systems. These differences are evident in the ways and extent to which employees are monitored and their decision-making directed during their work. My research contributes to employee control scholarship by showing that a relational perspective to algorithm design can draw attention to different ways in which employee autonomy at work and the pursuit of organisational goals might be reconciled in different organisational settings. Moreover, the outcomes of this study have the potential to inform improvements in the AI vendor industry by highlighting the ways algorithms should be responsibly designed and implemented to ensure employees are safeguarded from the intended and unintended consequences of algorithm use in their work

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Employee control, Algorithms, Algorithm design, Critical Theory, Values, Algorithmic control, Call Centres, Monitoring, Directing, Case studies
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 August 2024
Last Modified:	28 Aug 2024 11:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/171583

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