The role of perceived usefulness in reducing ambivalent attitudes towards invasive technologies[Le rôle de l’utilité perçue dans la réduction de l’attitude ambivalente à l’égard des technologies invasives]

This paper examines how employees evaluate safety technologies that collect information about their activities or level of alertness. It discusses the relationships between the perceived usefulness of such a device and other perceptions, including perceived invasion of privacy, compliant use of the device, and proactive use of the device. The study draws on a survey of 209 individuals with at least one year of experience as industrial workers. Respondents are asked to imagine using a connected forklift truck or a connected helmet. Hypotheses are formulated concerning the central role of perceived usefulness as a strong determinant of other attitudes. These hypotheses draw on contextual integrity theory and the technology acceptance model. Responses are analysed using structural equation modelling. The results show that perceived usefulness is positively associated with compliant and proactive use of the safety device and negatively associated with perceived invasion of privacy. From a theoretical perspective, these findings highlight the importance of legitimacy in the acceptance of an intrusive device and indicate that this legitimacy is assessed in terms of usefulness. From a managerial perspective, an intrusive technology is be considered acceptable in contexts involving safety concerns when it is perceived as useful. Longitudinal and experimental studies conducted in diverse organisational and cultural contexts would allow these relationships to be examined in greater depth.