The intricacies of power relations and digital technologies in organizational processes

Titolo Rivista STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI
Autori/Curatori Attila Bruni, Francesco Miele, Daniel Pittino, Lia Tirabeni
Anno di pubblicazione 2021 Fascicolo 2021/1
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 18 P. 7-24 Dimensione file 238 KB
DOI 10.3280/SO2021-001001
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The relationship between power, technology and organizing is a longstanding theme in organization studies, typically articulated along two polarized positions: a pessimistic and an optimistic one. Both positions assume a deterministic view in which technology "impacts" society and organizations, thus missing the intricate and often ambiguous dynamics that surround power and technology. Accordingly, this Special Issue focuses on the intricacies of power, digital technologies and organizational processes. Presenting the rationale of the papers that compose the Special Issue, we suggest five themes arising when empirically and theoretically approaching these intricacies: 1) digital technologies and power relationships in organizational structure and processes; 2) relationships between technology, power and workers’ participation; 3) digital technologies, algorithmic control and power renegotiation; 4) digital technologies, practices of human resources management and the joint design of technology, work, and organization; 5) hyper-industrialization as a critical lens to approach technology, work, and organizing. Taken all together, the papers help overcoming simplifications as well as polarized representations of the relationship between power, digital technologies and organizing.

La relazione tra potere, tecnologia e processi organizzativi è un tema di lunga data negli studi organizzativi, tipicamente articolato lungo due principali posizioni polarizzate: una pessimistica e una ottimistica, entrambe caratterizzate da una visione deterministica per cui la tecnologia "impatta" la società e le organizzazioni. A ben vedere, tuttavia, questa visione deterministica manca di cogliere le complesse, e spesso ambigue, dinamiche che caratterizzano la relazione fra potere e tecnologia. Il presente Special Issue si focalizza al contrario sulle complessità della relazione fra potere, tecnologie digitali e processi organizzativi. Nel presentare le ragioni degli articoli che compongono lo Special Issue, si suggeriscono cinque tematiche emergenti quando si approcciano empiricamente e teoricamente tali complessità: 1) tecnologie digitali e relazioni di potere nella struttura e nei processi organizzativi; 2) il legame fra tecnologia, potere e partecipazione dei lavoratori; 3) tecnologie digitali, controllo algoritmico e rinegoziazione del potere; 4) tecnologie digitali, pratiche di gestione delle risorse umane e progettazione congiunta di tecnologia, lavoro e organizzazione; 5) l’iperindustrializzazione come approccio critico per meglio comprendere la relazione fra tecnologia, lavoro e organizzazione. Presi insieme, questi articoli vanno oltre la semplificazione e la polarizzazione che caratterizza il dibattito e offrono una rappresentazione sfumata della relazione fra potere, tecnologia e organizzazione.

Keywords:potere, tecnologia digitale, processi organizzativi, gestione algoritmica, pratiche di lavoro

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Attila Bruni, Francesco Miele, Daniel Pittino, Lia Tirabeni, The intricacies of power relations and digital technologies in organizational processes in "STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI " 1/2021, pp 7-24, DOI: 10.3280/SO2021-001001