Changing Models of Work in the Digital Platform Economy

The proliferation of online labor platforms has significant consequences for the world of work, as workers adopt novel work roles in the gig economy, digital platforms function as new labor market intermediaries, and organizations reconfigure how they operate. This symposium aims to advance our understanding of this relatively novel phenomenon of platform-mediated work and explore its implications for management scholarship. We address the ramifications of the digital platform economy for workers and organizations from organizational behavior, organizational theory, and information systems perspectives, thereby drawing on a variety of contexts. For workers, our symposium provides insights about how individuals can thrive in the so-called ‘gig economy’, the influence of platform algorithms on worker behavior, and the effects of managing multiple work roles. For firms, it explores perceptions of online platforms, motivations for adopting them, implications of online platforms for operations, and how capitalist and cooperative platform firms govern and create value. Finally, discussants will integrate across our studies, draw conclusions, and offer suggestions for advancing the topic.

Keywords: Gig Economy, Platform Economy, Future of Work, Online Labor Platforms