What Do I Do in a World of Artificial Intelligence? Investigating the Impact of Substitutive Decision-Making AI Systems on Employees' Professional Role Identity

“Studies focusing on the collective level examine how professionals develop their role identity in relationship to others and to their work (Pouthier et al., 2013; Powell & DiMaggio, 1991).”

“Using an in-depth case study allows us to shed light on novel phenomena (Eisenhardt, 1989), enabling observation and an understanding of underlying mechanisms and relationships at the individual level (Eisenhardt, 1989; Gioia et al., 2013).”

“Using an in-depth case study allows us to shed light on novel phenomena (Eisenhardt, 1989), enabling observation and an understanding of underlying mechanisms and relationships at the individual level (Eisenhardt, 1989; Gioia et al., 2013).”

“Studies focusing on the collective level examine how professionals develop their role identity in relationship to others and to their work (Pouthier et al., 2013; Powell & DiMaggio, 1991).”

“Thus, professionals not only define themselves in association with their own work but also in relation to the work of others (Abbott, 1988; Becker et al., 1961; Freidson, 2001; Reay et al., 2017).”

“Such AI systems are able to evaluate new information and use their learning abilities to adapt their decisions and adjust their behavior (Agrawal et al., 2017; Anderson et al., 2018; Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2017; Burrell, 2016; Manyika et al., 2017; Raisch & Krakowski, in press).”

“Studies focusing on the individual level examine how, over time, individual employees develop their own identity through education, training, and experience (Ibarra, 1999; Pratt et al., 2006).”

“Thus, professionals not only define themselves in association with their own work but also in relation to the work of others (Abbott, 1988; Becker et al., 1961; Freidson, 2001; Reay et al., 2017).”

“Existing literature on information systems (IS) and identity centers, first, on identities tied to material objects (Carter et al., 2020a, 2020b; Carter & Grover, 2015) and, second, on identities tied to work roles and social groups (Chreim et al., 2007; Nelson & Irwin, 2014; Pratt et al., 2006).”

“However, other studies have shown that introducing a new IS can also threaten professionals’ identity (Craig et al., 2019; Kim & Kankanhalli, 2009; Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Marakas & Hornik, 1996).”

“First, unlike previous IS, AI systems are capable of autonomously taking over entire work processes rather than substituting for specific tasks (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2018; Bailey et al., 2019; Stone et al., 2016; von Krogh, 2018).”

“Specifically, the contrast between oneself others in similar settings shapes one’s professional role identity (Chreim et al., 2007; Sluss & Ashforth, 2007; Vough et al., 2013).”

“However, other studies have shown that introducing a new IS can also threaten professionals’ identity (Craig et al., 2019; Kim & Kankanhalli, 2009; Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Marakas & Hornik, 1996).”

“The increasing introduction and use of IS challenges professionals’ role identity by fundamentally altering professionals’ work processes (Brynjolfsson & Mitchell, 2017; Faraj et al., 2018; Manyika et al., 2017).”

“Therefore, introducing an AI system changes the way in which consultants do their work and how they perceive themselves as professionals, consequently affecting their professional role identity (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2018; Faraj et al., 2018; Manyika et al., 2017).”

“If they feel that their identity is threatened, they often respond by rejecting mechanisms, making it difficult for organizations to promote change (Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Petriglieri, 2011).”

“Although automating tasks has long been a major topic in IS research (Rai et al., 2019; Zuboff, 1988), AI systems have unique characteristics that go beyond automation.”

“Thus, professionals not only define themselves in association with their own work but also in relation to the work of others (Abbott, 1988; Becker et al., 1961; Freidson, 2001; Reay et al., 2017).”

“Institutions are increasingly introducing AI systems in the workplace (Brynjolfsson & Mitchell, 2017; von Krogh, 2018).”

“The banking industry was among the first to introduce AI systems offering fully automated decision-making (Bahrammirzaee, 2010), which makes this industry particularly suitable for a case study.”

“AI systems, in contrast, are often fully nontransparent to users (Dourish, 2016; Faraj et al., 2018).”

“Existing literature on information systems (IS) and identity centers, first, on identities tied to material objects (Carter et al., 2020a, 2020b; Carter & Grover, 2015) and, second, on identities tied to work roles and social groups (Chreim et al., 2007; Nelson & Irwin, 2014; Pratt et al., 2006).”

“Although automating tasks has long been a major topic in IS research (Rai et al., 2019; Zuboff, 1988), AI systems have unique characteristics that go beyond automation.”

“However, other studies have shown that introducing a new IS can also threaten professionals’ identity (Craig et al., 2019; Kim & Kankanhalli, 2009; Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Marakas & Hornik, 1996).”

“Second, substitutive decision-making AI systems offer employees no possibility of interacting with the system (Lindenbaum et al., 2020).”

“Skilled and experienced employees could be used to supervise and train new employees who lack appropriate long-term experience (Beane, 2019).”

“…how a single profession’s role identity changes following the introduction of an IS (e.g., physicians’ altered professional role identity, as in Reay et al., 2017), or how IS affect multiple professions, with one profession perceiving the IS as a threat and another profession perceiving it…”

“Studies that focus on the positive effect of IS on employees’ identity highlight, in particular, how IS can enhance professionals’ role identity (e.g., Kyratsis et al., 2017; Nelson & Irwin, 2014).”

“The literature covering work roles and social groups shows how employees seek to maintain their professional role identity when confronted with a newly introduced technology by adapting or restructuring themselves or their work processes (Craig et al., 2019; Mishra et al., 2012; Petriglieri, 2011).”

“Studies that focus on the positive effect of IS on employees’ identity highlight, in particular, how IS can enhance professionals’ role identity (e.g., Kyratsis et al., 2017; Nelson & Irwin, 2014).”

“Existing literature on information systems (IS) and identity centers, first, on identities tied to material objects (Carter et al., 2020a, 2020b; Carter & Grover, 2015) and, second, on identities tied to work roles and social groups (Chreim et al., 2007; Nelson & Irwin, 2014; Pratt et al., 2006).”

“Such AI systems are able to evaluate new information and use their learning abilities to adapt their decisions and adjust their behavior (Agrawal et al., 2017; Anderson et al., 2018; Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2017; Burrell, 2016; Manyika et al., 2017; Raisch & Krakowski, in press).”

“…identity, as in Reay et al., 2017), or how IS affect multiple professions, with one profession perceiving the IS as a threat and another profession perceiving it as an enhancement (e.g., Craig et al., 2019; Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Marakas & Hornik, 1996; Mishra et al., 2012; Nach & Lejeune, 2010).”

“However, in many cases, AI systems are nontransparent and employees often perceive them as inexplicable (Anderson et al., 2018; Dourish, 2016; Faraj et al., 2018).”

“AI systems not only substitute parts of employees’ work processes, but many can also replace defining core activities that constitute the profession itself (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2018; Anderson et al., 2018; Bughin et al., 2018; Harari, 2017).”

“Specifically, the contrast between oneself others in similar settings shapes one’s professional role identity (Chreim et al., 2007; Sluss & Ashforth, 2007; Vough et al., 2013).”

“First, unlike previous IS, AI systems are capable of autonomously taking over entire work processes rather than substituting for specific tasks (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2018; Bailey et al., 2019; Stone et al., 2016; von Krogh, 2018).”

“…become strongly attached to their work through lengthy educational and socialization processes that enable them to define themselves with respect to the goals, values, norms, and interaction patterns associated with their work (Pratt et al., 2006; Reay et al., 2017; Stein et al., 2013).”

“They experienced (1) increasing competition from new market participants because of digitization, (2) a mismatch in their own personnel resources, (3) high loan default rates, and hence (4) declining profitability (Mayer et al., 2020).”

“Existing literature on information systems (IS) and identity centers, first, on identities tied to material objects (Carter et al., 2020a, 2020b; Carter & Grover, 2015) and, second, on identities tied to work roles and social groups (Chreim et al., 2007; Nelson & Irwin, 2014; Pratt et al., 2006).”

“…identity, as in Reay et al., 2017), or how IS affect multiple professions, with one profession perceiving the IS as a threat and another profession perceiving it as an enhancement (e.g., Craig et al., 2019; Lapointe & Rivard, 2005; Marakas & Hornik, 1996; Mishra et al., 2012; Nach & Lejeune, 2010).”

“Studies focusing on the collective level examine how professionals develop their role identity in relationship to others and to their work (Pouthier et al., 2013; Powell & DiMaggio, 1991).”

“For instance, Nach (2015) found that doctors and nurses perceived their identities to be threatened when they were forced to deal with a newly implemented electronic health records system.”

“One of the main worries of the public about AI and the future of work is increasing AI substitution for employees ’ tasks, responsibilities, and decision making and the high potential for worker replacement (Ernst et al., 2019; Strich et al., 2021).”

“The impact of AI on jobs and the nature of roles has been discussed widely, e.g. (Du & Xie, 2021; Frey & Osborne, 2017; Strich, Mayer & Fiedler, 2021).”

“Such digital technologies permit a shift toward automated modes of governance, which differ radically from their analog counterparts (Strich, Mayer, & Fiedler, 2021; Tarafdar, Page, & Marabelli, 2023).”