Shifting control and trust: Exploring implications of introducing delegated decision support systems

Increased information access and more intelligent information systems enable more operators in an organization to autonomously make decisions. These delegated decision-making opportunities play an important role during critical events, as operators -such as emergency teams and responders- can work independently and rely less on a centralized decision-making structure. Moreover, the operators’ perceived level of trust increases while also limiting the coordinators’ perceived control. In this paper, we examine the influence of such systems on the shift in perceived control and empowerment for both operators and commanders. In our experiments, conducted at the Royal Netherlands Air Force, we found that the introduction of these systems indeed affects perceived control and empowerment, specifically as perceived by the coordinator. These factors will play an important role in the effective use of such systems and their transformative effect on an organization. Especially considering the ongoing technical and organizational developments in crisis information management.