Robots as Managers? Organizational Justice, Power Asymmetries, and the Future of AI Supervision

Emmanuel Monod

doi:10.63029/rqg5z883

Authors

Emmanuel Monod ISTEC Business School Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63029/rqg5z883

Keywords:

robotic managers, Artificial intelligence, Technology acceptance, Organizational justice, Power dynamics, Algorithmic bias, Employee well‐being, Human–robot interaction, Digital surveillance

Abstract

This commentary critically expands on Wolf and Stock-Homburg’s (2025) study of employee acceptance of robotic managers, which relies on Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model. We argue that acceptance is not purely rational or individual but shaped by power dynamics, workplace culture, and ethical concerns. Drawing from organizational behavior and AI ethics, we show that compliance often replaces genuine trust, particularly in high power-distance contexts. Algorithmic opacity, bias, and technostress can undermine well-being and fuel resistance. By embedding AI acceptance within broader social and organizational frameworks, this paper challenges the assumptions of existing models and proposes new research directions. It offers practical guidance for implementing robotic management systems in ethical, inclusive, and psychologically sustainable ways.

Author Biography

Emmanuel Monod, ISTEC Business School

Emmanuel Monod, holds a PhD from Telecom Paris (Institut Polytechnique de Paris). He is currently associate researcher of ISTEC Business School, Paris and the president of the ABPMP China, the American Association for Business Process Management, USA, Chinese chapter. He was previously a professor at the Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai JiaoTong University. He is the vice-president of the Special Interest Group of the Association for Information Systems (AIS, Atlanta, USA) on “Culture and Information Systems” and of the AIS SIG on “Philosophy and Information Systems”. He serves currently as conference chair of the pre-AOM AI summit (with AIS) and track chair at the Americas Conference in IS (AMCIS 2025, Montréal, Canada).

He first worked with the School of Continuing Education of Tsinghua University. Previously, at IBM, Emmmanuel worked at IBM, at France Telecom and in a French government agency (COFACE), developing expert systems and AI. He was elected during 20 years at the Associaation for Information Systems (AIS) and during 10 years at the Academy of Management (AOM) and division program chair for AOM 2022, Boston.

Emmanuel was previously Associate Editor for Information Systems Research (ISR), Information Systems Journal (ISJ),Journal of the AIS, Systèmes d’Information et Management, Information Technology and People (ITP), Database for Advances in Information Systems and Communication of the AIS and is currently in the editorial board of the Engaged Management Review (EMR). He was guest editor of a special issue of Information Systems Journal and guest associate editor for MIS Quarterly. His publications appear in the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS), Information Systems Journal (ISJ), Information and Organization, European Management Journal (EMR), Journal of Computer Information Systems, Decision Systems Journal, Systèmes d’Information et Management, Journal of Decision Systems, Réseaux, The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, Communications of the AIS, RIPCO, Annales des Telecoms and Engineering. Overall, Emmanuel has published 66 scientific papers including 19 academic journal papers and 37 international academic conference papers, including 10 at the AOM annual meeting and 2 books, including one on digital transformation in the USA in 2023. Two of his publications won AOM division best paper awards (AOM 2020 Vancouver, Canada, and AOM 2019 Boston).

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