The App as a Boss? Control and Autonomy in Application-Based Management

Summary

The rise of digital platforms requires a deeper understanding of the structural role of algorithmic management in work environments. In this interdisciplinary study, we examine how digital platforms, which offer food delivery service, use a mobile application for management of their workforce. Drawing on interviews with self-employed riders at Deliveroo and employed riders at Foodora, we compare how the App affects the interplay between autonomy and control of riders, and how the app-based management relates to different contractual models.

Keywords: algorithmic management; gig-economy; platform economy; workplace control