A Taxonomy of Algorithmic Control Systems

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Alizadeh, Armin; Hirsch, Felix; Jiang, Jennifer; Wiener, Martin; Benlian, Alexander

Abstract: Algorithmic control (AC) uses digital technologies and advanced algorithms to c ... Expand

Abstract: Algorithmic control (AC) uses digital technologies and advanced algorithms to control workers and is rapidly becoming a central component of modern work environments.While previous research has explored the implications of AC by examining its specific forms, mechanisms, or functions, this research argues for a broader understanding of AC as socio-technical systems, explicitly considering the technological and organizational characteristics of AC. The overarching goal of this study is to identify and conceptualize the core dimensions and respective characteristics of AC systems. To achieve this goal, we develop a taxonomy based on a review of prior literature and an analysis of 21 empirical examples. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application and usefulness of the derived taxonomy by applying it to three real-world AC systems. By adopting a holistic system perspective and developing a validated taxonomy, our study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AC systems and sets the stage for deeper exploration in future research. Collapse

Topics: organizational control organizational context computer hardware information technology capability Uber

Methods: literature study case study theory development computational algorithm

Theories: socio technical theory

Algorithmic Management: Its Implications for Information Systems Research

2023 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 4

Authors: Cameron, Lindsey; Lamers, Laura; Leicht-Deobald, Ulrich; Lutz, Christoph; Meijerink, Jeroen; Möhlmann, Mareike

Abstract: In recent years, the topic of algorithmic management has received increasing at ... Expand

Abstract: In recent years, the topic of algorithmic management has received increasing attention in information systems (IS) research and beyond. As both emerging platform businesses and established companies rely on artificial intelligence and sophisticated software to automate tasks previously done by managers, important organizational, social, and ethical questions emerge. However, a cross-disciplinary approach to algorithmic management that brings together IS perspectives with other (sub-)disciplines such as macro-and micro-organizational behavior, business ethics, and digital sociology is missing, despite its usefulness for IS research. This article engages in cross-disciplinary agenda setting through an in-depth report of a professional development workshop (PDW) entitled "Algorithmic Management: Toward a Cross-Disciplinary Research Agenda" delivered at the 2021 Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Three leading experts (Mareike Möhlmann, Lindsey Cameron, and Laura Lamers) on the topic provide their insights on the current status of algorithmic management research, how their work contributes to this area, where the field is heading in the future, and what important questions should be answered going forward. These accounts are followed up by insights from the breakout group discussions at the PDW that provided further input. Overall, the experts and workshop participants emphasized that future research should examine both the desirable and undesirable outcomes of algorithmic management and should not shy away from posing ethical and normative questions. Collapse

Topics: algorithmic management sensemaking platform worker Uber pandemic

Methods: computational algorithm theory development group interview ethnography grounded theory

Theories: organizational behavior theory enactment theory

Economic Impacts of Platform-Endorsed Quality Certification: Evidence from Airbnb

2023 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Dewan, Sanjeev; Kim, Jooho; Nian, Tingting

Abstract: We contribute to the emerging literature on quality certification by digital pl ... Expand

Abstract: We contribute to the emerging literature on quality certification by digital platforms by studying the launch of the Airbnb Plus service, wherein the platform inspects properties and provides a badge that presumably signals the quality of the property and the reliability of the host. Our identification strategy relies on the fact that the Airbnb Plus service was launched in different cities at different times, and listings within the cities received the certification at different times. Using a staggered difference-in-differences estimation strategy in conjunction with suitable matching methods, we found that the Airbnb Plus certification increased the weekly booking rate of Plus listings by about 6.8% on average (direct effect). We also found some evidence that non-Plus listings saw a temporary decline in booking rate when one or more nearby properties received a Plus certification (externality effect). The net impact of the Airbnb Plus service on the platform itself was an annual increase in revenue of about $37,500 for the average 2-kilometer zone in a U.S. city that included one or more Plus listings, as compared to matched zones without any Plus listings (local platform effect). We performed additional analyses, including a randomized experiment, to demonstrate the robustness of our findings. Overall, our results suggest that platform-endorsed quality certification has significant economic impacts-not just on the listings that receive the certification but on other listings on the platform as well as on the platform itself. Collapse

Topics: Airbnb website sharing platform peer-to-peer model Google+

Methods: experimental group experiment propensity score method product review robustness check

What most influences consumers’ intention to use? Different motivation and trust stories for uber, airbnb, and taskrabbit

2023 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tripp, John; McKnight, D. Harrison; Lankton, Nancy

Abstract: While many factors drive the sharing economy’s growth, trust and motivations pla ... Expand

Abstract: While many factors drive the sharing economy’s growth, trust and motivations play critical roles. However, which factors are more important to young consumers? This research compares a trust model with a motivation model for predicting intention to use Airbnb, Uber, and TaskRabbit, comparing within each platform, not between them. The study uses a survey sample of Midwest United States business undergraduates (nearly all Generation Z). Each sample varies in experience levels: relatively high experience Uber respondents, very low experience TaskRabbit respondents, and medium experience for Airbnb. Results show that within Uber, the trust model predicts significantly better than the motivation model. Within Airbnb and TaskRabbit, the motivation model predicts only slightly better. By combining the trust and motivation variables into one model by platform, we find differing degrees of complementarity between the trust and motivation variables, with those for Airbnb being the most complementary in terms of predictive power and those for Uber being the least complementary. Within Airbnb and TaskRabbit, combining the trust and motivation models shows the two most significant variables were enjoyment and trusting intention. Within Uber, trusting intention and trusting beliefs in the provider were the most significant. We provide implications and directions for future research. Collapse

Topics: usage intention Uber TaskRabbit Airbnb mobile application

Methods: survey statistical power analysis partial least squares regression ANOVA partial least squares path modeling

Theories: motivation theory self determination theory trust theory

Hourly Wages in Crowdworking: A Meta-Analysis

2022 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 0

Authors: Hornuf, Lars; Vrankar, Daniel

Abstract: In the past decade, crowdworking on online labor market platforms has become an ... Expand

Abstract: In the past decade, crowdworking on online labor market platforms has become an important source of income for a growing number of people worldwide. This development has led to increasing political and scholarly interest in the wages people can earn on such platforms. This study extends the literature, which is often based on a single platform, region, or category of crowdworking, through a meta-analysis of prevalent hourly wages. After a systematic literature search, the paper considers 22 primary empirical studies, including 105 wages and 76,765 data points from 22 platforms, eight different countries, and 10 years. It is found that, on average, microtasks results in an hourly wage of less than $6. This wage is significantly lower than the mean wage of online freelancers, which is roughly three times higher when not factoring in unpaid work. Hourly wages accounting for unpaid work, such as searching for tasks and communicating with requesters, tend to be significantly lower than wages not considering unpaid work. Legislators and researchers evaluating wages in crowdworking need to be aware of this bias when assessing hourly wages, given that the majority of literature does not account for the effect of unpaid work time on crowdworking wages. To foster the comparability of different research results, the article suggests that scholars consider a wage correction factor to account for unpaid work. Finally, researchers should be aware that remuneration and work processes on crowdworking platforms can systematically affect the data collection method and inclusion of unpaid work. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing accounting online labor market database system organizational transformation

Methods: meta analysis descriptive statistic survey literature study mixed method

Theories: lemon market theory

Online communities and discontinuance of information technology-enabled on-demand workers: Impacts of informal social interactions through dual commitments

2022 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Nwafor, Onyi; Ma, Xiao; Hou, Jinghui (Jove); Johnson, Norman

Abstract: The on-demand economy (or gig economy) is touted “the future of work” characteri ... Expand

Abstract: The on-demand economy (or gig economy) is touted “the future of work” characterized by heterogeneous la­ borers “on the cloud.” Turnover intention (TI) models have been developed to describe employees in the con­ ventional settings and thus may be insufficient for understanding on-demand workers. This study aims to fill this important gap and beyond. We derive a model of discontinuance intention (DI) where job satisfaction is a prominent mediator of the effect of reward fairness. We further theorize and test how and why on-demand workers’ dual commitments toward their online communities arising from workers’ informal social in­ teractions (ISI) may create boundary conditions for the mediating role of job satisfaction. Data were collected from a large sample of 1493 on-demand workers over a four-year span and facilitated the analysis of a moderated mediation model. Results indicate that job satisfaction largely mediates a negative relationship between workers’ perceptions that their rewards are just (i.e., fairness of rewards) and their intention to discontinue work for the on-demand firm. Moreover, workers’ dual commitments toward their online peer communities (OPCs) disrupted this mediating effect. More interestingly, the dual commitments did not moderate the mediation path equally. Overall, our theoretical model and empirical results delineate how discontinuance intention can be affected by a parsimonious set of antecedents in the context of the on-demand economy. Collapse

Topics: platform worker job satisfaction online community organizational commitment IT personell turnover

Methods: survey descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test chi squared test partial least squares path modeling

Theories: distributive justice theory procedural justice theory big five model theory of affordance social capital theory

How Managers Maintain Control Through Collaborative Repair: Evidence from Platform-Mediated “Gigs”

2021 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Rahman, Hatim A.; Valentine, Melissa A.

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using ... Expand

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using platform labor markets to hire and manage workers—attempt to maintain control when managing skilled contractors. We conducted an inductive field study analyzing interactions between client managers and contractors in software development “gigs” mediated by a platform labor market. The platform provided multiple tools client managers could use for control, including in response to unexpected events. We found that, when managers used the tools to exert coercive control over contractors acting unexpectedly, it backfired and contributed to uncompleted project outcomes. In contrast, when they refrained from using the tools for coercive control in such circumstances and instead engaged in what we call collaborative repair, their actions contributed to completed project outcomes. Collaborative repair refers to interactions that surface misaligned interpretations of a situation and help parties negotiate new, reciprocal expectations that restore trust and willingness to continue an exchange. Client managers’ attempts at collaborative repair yielded fuller understanding of project-related breakdowns and shared investment in new expectations, facilitating effective control and completed projects. This study extends prior theories of control by characterizing the new client manager role created by platforms and demonstrating how initiating repair is integral for managers’ capacity to accomplish control in these comparatively brittle work relationships. Collapse

Topics: digital platform systems development platform work IT development project IT project

Methods: qualitative interview archival database qualitative coding field study constant comparative analysis

Network Interconnectivity and Entry into Platform Markets

2021 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 12

Authors: Zhu, Feng; Li, Xinxin; Valavi, Ehsan; Iansiti, Marco

Abstract: Digital technologies have led to the emergence of many platforms in our economy ... Expand

Abstract: Digital technologies have led to the emergence of many platforms in our economy today. In certain platform networks, buyers in one market purchase services from providers in many other markets, whereas in others, buyers primarily purchase services from providers within the same market. Accordingly, network interconnectivity—which measures the degree to which consumers in one market purchase services from service providers in a different market—varies across different industries. We examine how network interconnectivity affects interactions between an incumbent platform serving multiple markets and an entrant platform seeking to enter one of these markets. Our model yields several interesting results. First, even if the entrant can advertise at no cost, it still may not want to make every user in a local market aware of its service, as doing so may trigger a competitive response from the incumbent. Second, having more mobile buyers, which increases interconnectivity between markets, can reduce the incumbent’s incentive to fight and, thus, increase the entrant’s incentive to expand. Third, stronger interconnectivity between markets may or may not make the incumbent more defensible: when advertising is not costly and mobile buyers consume in both their local markets and the markets they visit, a large number of mobile buyers will increase the entrant’s profitability, thereby making it difficult for the incumbent to deter entry. However, when advertising is costly or mobile buyers only consume in the markets they travel to, a large number of mobile buyers will help the incumbent deter entry. When advertising cost is at an intermediate level, the entrant prefers a market with moderate interconnectivity between markets. Fourth, we find that even if advanced targeting technologies can enable the entrant to also advertise to mobile buyers, the entrant may choose not to do so in order to avoid triggering the incumbent’s competitive response. Finally, we find that the presence of network effects is likely to decrease the entrant’s profit. Our results offer managerial implications for platform firms and help understand their performance heterogeneity. Collapse

Topics: advertising management network effect switching cost Uber digital platform

Methods: network analysis

Theories: game theory

Understanding the Platform Economy

2020 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Hesse, Maik; Dann, David; Braesemann, Fabian

Abstract: Two-sided markets are gaining increasing importance. Examples include accommodat ... Expand

Abstract: Two-sided markets are gaining increasing importance. Examples include accommodation and car sharing, resale, shared mobility, crowd work, and many more. As these businesses rely on transactions among users, central aspects to virtually all platforms are the creation and maintenance of trust. While research has considered effects of trust-building on diverse platforms in isolation, the overall platform landscape has received much less attention. However, cross-platform comparison is important since platforms vary in their degree of social interaction, which, as we demonstrate in this paper, determines the adequacy and use of different trust mechanisms. Based on actual market data, we examine the mechanisms platforms employ and how frequent users rely on them. We contrast this view against survey data on users’ perceptions of the context-specific importance of these trust-building tools. Our findings provide robust evidence for our reasoning on the relation between platforms’ degree of social interaction and the associated expressive trust cues. Collapse

Topics: Airbnb crowdsourcing ride sharing platform frequency of use electronic commerce

Methods: survey regression analysis method personal interview qualitative coding self reported survey

Takeaway Trust: A market data perspective on reputation portability in electronic commerce

2020 | HICSS | Citations: 1

Authors: Hesse, Maik; Teubner, Timm

Abstract: Reputation has become a key factor within today’s online platform landscape. In ... Expand

Abstract: Reputation has become a key factor within today’s online platform landscape. In particular for sellers in electronic commerce, the management of reputation as a signal of trustworthiness has become a relevant business activity. Prior studies have focused on either the role of reputation within given (but platformbound) environments or general data portability between platforms. The question of cross-platform reputation portability, however, has thus far achieved much less attention. With this exploratory work, we present survey data on consumers’ perception of portable reputation in the platform economy and a case study based on actual (seller) market data from an e-commerce marketplace. Our results show that consumers are generally receptive for imported seller reputation. However, for seller ratings to function as an effective signaling device across platform boundaries, adequate means of representation have yet to be found. Collapse

Topics: electronic commerce Airbnb Lyft ride sharing platform digital platform

Methods: survey regression analysis method survey design qualitativ observational study longitudinal research