APA
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Roberts, A., & Zietsma, C. (2018). Working for an App: Organizational Boundaries, Roles, and Meaning of Work in the “On-demand” Economy. In Research in the Sociology of Organizations: Toward Permeable Boundaries of Organizations? (Vol. 57, pp. 195–225). https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20180000057008
Chicago/Turabian
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Roberts, A., and C. Zietsma. “Working for an App: Organizational Boundaries, Roles, and Meaning of Work in the ‘On-Demand’ Economy.” In Research in the Sociology of Organizations: Toward Permeable Boundaries of Organizations?, 57:195–225, 2018.
MLA
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Roberts, A., and C. Zietsma. “Working for an App: Organizational Boundaries, Roles, and Meaning of Work in the ‘On-Demand’ Economy.” Research in the Sociology of Organizations: Toward Permeable Boundaries of Organizations?, vol. 57, 2018, pp. 195–225, doi:10.1108/S0733-558X20180000057008.
BibTeX Click to copy
@inbook{a2018a,
title = {Working for an App: Organizational Boundaries, Roles, and Meaning of Work in the “On-demand” Economy},
year = {2018},
journal = {Research in the Sociology of Organizations: Toward Permeable Boundaries of Organizations?},
pages = {195-225},
volume = {57},
doi = {10.1108/S0733-558X20180000057008},
author = {Roberts, A. and Zietsma, C.}
}
Abstract What happens to nonelite workers’ meaning, belonging, and identity when work is “on-demand”? On-demand organizations, such as Uber and TaskRabbit, have ambiguous boundaries and locations of workers. This qualitative study investigated how organizational and societal boundary discourse and the organization of the work itself, constructed sometimes conflicting worker roles that influenced how ride-hailing workers understood the boundaries of the on-demand organization and their location with respect to it. The roles of app–user and driver–partner constructed ride-hailing workers as outside the boundaries of the organization, while the driver–bot role constructed them as (nonhuman) elements of organizational technology. While the driver–partner role had positive and empowering identity, meaning, and belongingness associations, its conflict with the other roles blocked these positive associations, and led to cynicism and fatalism. We reflect on the possible impacts of the on-demand economy on society, workers, and the practice of work, particularly for nonelite workers.