Abstract
Despite growing interest in the dynamics of vulnerability and trust between employees and leaders, our current understanding of this phenomenon remains limited. Even less is known about how vulnerability and trust dynamics unfold in the context of data-driven HR technologies, such as data-driven pay-for-performance (PfP) systems. Therefore, this study investigates how vulnerability emerges in the trust relationship between employees and leaders in a datafied PfP context. Using a dual perspective approach, we analyzed a total of 21 semi-structured interviews conducted with employees (n=16), their respective team leaders (n=4) and a department head (n=1) one year after the implementation of a datafied PfP system. Our findings show that employees and leaders experience new forms of vulnerability due to the datafication of HR technology. Drawing on Weibel et al.'s (2023) vulnerability framework, we develop a four-stage model of employee-leader vulnerability and trust development over time. Our findings suggest that employees first encounter discontinuity vulnerability, which leads to a re-evaluation of trust, followed by perceptions of socio-emotional vulnerability. In response, employees develop new expectations towards their leaders, expecting them to assume moral responsibility. However, leaders behave in a responsibility-averse manner, using data-driven HR technology to deflect responsibility back onto employees. As a result, employees experience a trust breach and overall employee trust towards leaders declines. Our study contributes to the literature on trust, datafication in HR technology, and responsible leadership by providing valuable insights for HR practitioners on how to actively manage employee-leader vulnerability and trust in datafied workplaces.