What if my next boss is a robot?

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The moment when we change roles, companies, sectors of activity or when the person who leads/coordinates our area or role is replaced is always a moment accompanied by reflection, review of ourselves, of interpersonal relationships in organizations and also of some anxiety and expectation.

Inevitably, questions arise in our minds such as: who is the new manager? What are his or her strengths? What leadership model does he or she use? Will he or she be authoritarian? Democratic? Permissive? Perfectionist, collaborative or absent? What will our relationship and rapport be like? Will we work well together?

One thing was certain: my boss is a person. Male, female, younger or older, more or less experienced, but still a person. However, as a result of the state of technological evolution and the uses given to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, we are starting to ask a new question: What if my next boss is a robot?

Is human work at stake?

We are ready (or should be) to adapt to different management models and jordan whatsapp number database leadership styles. But are we ready to be led by a robot?

Having a robot as an "employee" in an organization is nothing new. Take the example of virtual assistants that support customer service centers, robots that, in large warehouses, control or even execute ordering, evaluate stocks, or even cooking robots or the bionic arm that makes cocktails.

According to a study by Dell Technologies, 82% of business leaders expect their human and machine workforces to work as fully integrated teams within the next five years. But do they also expect their team leaders to no longer be human?

There are already predictions that indicate the possibility of robots becoming the managers of choice in the very near future. According to Forbes , robot bosses will occupy two-thirds of management positions by 2023. In other words, a total replacement of human managers is not expected, but 2 out of every 3 bosses will be a robot.

Robot boss: opportunity or threat?

Having a robot boss would undoubtedly be a source of curiosity and discussion with those around us. And the pros and cons would inevitably arise.

Impartiality would clearly be one of the great advantages of a robot boss. The fact that a robot boss is an algorithm would mean that it would be above prejudices, preconceived ideas or stereotypes. This would make it more fair and impartial.

Their analysis and decision-making would be immune to personal affinities and animosities, and would be limited to the professional aspect of the relationship. They would not show favoritism towards some over others when it came to, for example, the time to divide tasks, deliver more challenging projects or even during evaluations. We would then have greater rigor and objectivity. Is that so?

To reach this conclusion, we are assuming that the analyses made by the algorithm would be impartial, unbiased, objective and transparent, in the sense that all analyses and decisions would follow the same process and criteria, becoming more impervious to preconceived ideas. The robot boss would be neutral and everyone would be evaluated, receive promotions and be treated according to the same rules.

However, for the robot to be able to analyze and decide, it has to learn. If machine learning is based on previous human decisions, then that learning will inevitably bring with it the biases that humans conveyed in those decisions. In other words, not even an algorithm can be completely neutral.

On the other hand, even if a completely hermetic decision were possible, it would not always be correct or fair. Let us look, for example, at situations in which positive discrimination mechanisms are adopted to correct some situation of injustice or inequality . Or take article 35.º-A of the Portuguese Labour Code, which prohibits any form of discrimination based on the exercise of parental rights (no. 1), particularly in terms of the awarding of bonuses for attendance and productivity and career progression (no. 2). If someone did not work because they took parental leave or because they had periods of care for a sick child and, therefore, overall, ended up having lower productivity than someone with the same duties, they cannot be subject to a simplistic analysis based on attendance and the amount produced.

It is necessary that the analysis and decision treat what is equal equally and what is different differently. Thus, the robot boss would have to be "taught" these rules of non-discrimination and even rules of positive discrimination, adjusting the criteria, when applicable.

Another advantage highlighted is the possibility of individualizing the relationship with the robot boss . In the model we are familiar with, the boss is a person who can decide to have exactly the same relationship with each of the people he leads or can have the ability to perceive that each employee is different and responds differently.

If the boss is a robot, an algorithm, then we can program it to interact differently with each person, motivating them in the right way, interacting with them in the right measure. The more knowledge you have about how each of your subordinates works, the better you will be able to manage them, optimizing the work of the teams and making them more efficient, while increasing motivation.