Algorithmic management versus organising protest and co-determination? The case of Foodora/Lieferando in Germany

Titolo Rivista STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI
Autori/Curatori Jasmin Schreyer
Anno di pubblicazione 2021 Fascicolo 2021/1
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 24 P. 105-128 Dimensione file 289 KB
DOI 10.3280/SO2021-001005
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The so-called ‘platform economy’ or ‘gig economy’ and its ambivalent effects on the working environment is a focal point of social science research. The contribution analyses, based on a case study, algorithmic work in the platform economy, its working conditions, and the way gig workers organised and articulated their protest. The algorithmic management of Lieferando (formerly Foodora) governs its employees through algorithmic-driven and standardized work coordination. Therefore, different conflicts between the company and its workers arose, concerning working conditions, working relations, and co-determination. Organising, protest, and established co-determination mechanisms play a crucial role for the employees. As a result, there exists currently a few institutionalized relationships between the platform and its workforce in Germany.

Gli effetti della cosiddetta ‘economia delle piattaforme’, o gig economy, sul mondo del lavoro sono un argomento centrale e ampiamente tematizzato all'interno delle scienze sociali contemporanee. L'articolo, prendendo in considerazione il caso dell’azienda Lieferando (precedentemente Foodora), esplora in profondità gli intrecci tra lavoro algoritmico, le condizioni di lavoro da esso generato e i processi di rivendicazione collettiva. Il caso empirico presentato, svolto sul territorio tedesco, mostra innanzitutto come il management governi la forza lavoro attraverso un coordinamento del lavoro standardizzato e guidato dagli algoritmi. Allo stesso tempo, però, si tratteggiano i conflitti emergenti tra l'azienda ed i suoi lavoratori, aventi come oggetto le condizioni e i rapporti di lavoro e l’affermazione del principio di codeterminazione. Il contributo infine constata come, nonostante l’organizzazione di istanze collettive, in Germania esitano ancora poche relazioni istituzionalizzate tra piattaforme e lavoratori.

Keywords:Economia delle piattaforme, gig economy, management algoritmico, protesta organizzata, codeterminazione.

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Jasmin Schreyer, Algorithmic management versus organising protest and co-determination? The case of Foodora/Lieferando in Germany in "STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI " 1/2021, pp 105-128, DOI: 10.3280/SO2021-001005