<s>
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
term	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
certain	O
labor	O
management	O
practices	O
in	O
the	O
contemporary	O
digital	O
economy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
digital	O
direction	O
of	O
labor	O
was	O
present	O
in	O
manufacturing	O
already	O
since	O
the	O
1970s	O
and	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
is	O
becoming	O
increasingly	O
widespread	O
across	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
industries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
can	O
be	O
broadly	O
defined	O
as	O
the	O
delegation	O
of	O
managerial	O
functions	O
to	O
algorithmic	O
and	O
automated	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
has	O
been	O
enabled	O
by	O
recent	O
advances	O
in	O
digital	O
technologies	O
which	O
allow	O
for	O
the	O
real-time	O
and	O
"	O
large-scale	O
collection	O
of	O
data	O
"	O
which	O
is	O
then	O
used	O
to	O
"	O
improve	O
learning	O
algorithms	O
that	O
carry	O
out	O
learning	O
and	O
control	O
functions	O
traditionally	O
performed	O
by	O
managers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
contemporary	O
workplace	O
,	O
firms	O
employ	O
an	O
ecology	O
of	O
accounting	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
“	O
rankings	O
,	O
lists	O
,	O
classifications	O
,	O
stars	O
and	O
other	O
symbols’	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
effectively	O
manage	O
their	O
operations	O
and	O
create	O
value	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
traditional	O
forms	O
of	O
hierarchical	O
control.	O
”	O
Many	O
of	O
these	O
devices	O
fall	O
under	O
the	O
label	O
of	O
what	O
is	O
called	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
were	O
first	O
developed	O
by	O
companies	O
operating	O
in	O
the	O
sharing	O
economy	O
or	O
gig	O
economy	O
,	O
functioning	O
as	O
effective	O
labor	O
and	O
cost	O
cutting	O
measures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Data&Society	O
explainer	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
describes	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
as	O
‘	O
a	O
diverse	O
set	O
of	O
technological	O
tools	O
and	O
techniques	O
that	O
structure	O
the	O
conditions	O
of	O
work	O
and	O
remotely	O
manage	O
workforces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data&Society	O
also	O
provides	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
five	O
typical	O
features	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
:	O
</s>
<s>
Proponents	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
claim	O
that	O
it	O
“	O
creates	O
new	O
employment	O
opportunities	O
,	O
better	O
and	O
cheaper	O
consumer	O
services	O
,	O
transparency	O
and	O
fairness	O
in	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
labour	O
market	O
that	O
are	O
characterised	O
by	O
inefficiency	O
,	O
opacity	O
and	O
capricious	O
human	O
bosses.	O
”	O
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
critics	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
claim	O
that	O
the	O
practice	O
leads	O
to	O
several	O
issues	O
,	O
especially	O
as	O
it	O
impacts	O
the	O
employment	O
status	O
of	O
workers	O
managed	O
by	O
its	O
new	O
array	O
of	O
tools	O
and	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
“	O
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
”	O
was	O
first	O
described	O
by	O
Lee	O
,	O
Kusbit	O
,	O
Metsky	O
,	O
and	O
Dabbish	O
in	O
2015	O
in	O
their	O
study	O
of	O
the	O
Uber	O
and	O
Lyft	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
termed	O
“	O
software	O
algorithms	O
that	O
assume	O
managerial	O
functions	O
and	O
surrounding	O
institutional	O
devices	O
that	O
support	O
algorithms	O
in	O
practice	O
”	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Alex	O
Rosenblat	O
and	O
Luke	O
Stark	O
sought	O
to	O
extend	O
on	O
this	O
understanding	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
“	O
to	O
elucidate	O
on	O
the	O
automated	O
implementation	O
of	O
company	O
policies	O
on	O
the	O
behaviours	O
and	O
practices	O
of	O
Uber	O
drivers.	O
”	O
Rosenblat	O
and	O
Stark	O
found	O
in	O
their	O
study	O
that	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
practices	O
contributed	O
to	O
a	O
system	O
beset	O
by	O
power	O
asymmetries	O
,	O
where	O
drivers	O
had	O
little	O
control	O
over	O
“	O
critical	O
aspects	O
of	O
their	O
work	O
”	O
,	O
whereas	O
Uber	O
had	O
far	O
greater	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
labor	O
of	O
its	O
drivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
studies	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
have	O
extended	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
to	O
describe	O
the	O
management	O
practices	O
of	O
various	O
firms	O
,	O
where	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
algorithms	O
“	O
are	O
taking	O
over	O
scheduling	O
work	O
in	O
fast	O
food	O
restaurants	O
and	O
grocery	O
stores	O
,	O
using	O
various	O
forms	O
of	O
performance	O
metrics	O
ad	O
even	O
mood	O
...	O
to	O
assign	O
the	O
fastest	O
employees	O
to	O
work	O
in	O
peak	O
times.	O
”	O
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
is	O
seen	O
to	O
be	O
especially	O
prevalent	O
in	O
gig	O
work	O
on	O
platforms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
on	O
Upwork	O
and	O
Deliveroo	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
sharing	O
economy	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Airbnb	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
recent	O
research	O
has	O
defined	O
sub-constructs	O
that	O
fall	O
under	O
the	O
umbrella	O
term	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
"	O
algorithmic	O
nudging	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
has	O
been	O
compared	O
and	O
contrasted	O
with	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
management	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Scientific	O
management	O
approaches	O
,	O
as	O
pioneered	O
by	O
Frederick	O
Taylor	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1900s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
some	O
commentators	O
have	O
argued	O
that	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
is	O
not	O
simply	O
a	O
new	O
form	O
of	O
Scientific	O
management	O
or	O
digital	O
Taylorism	O
,	O
but	O
represents	O
a	O
distinct	O
approach	O
to	O
labor	O
control	O
in	O
platform	O
economies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
In	O
contrast	O
to	O
Scientific	O
Management	O
at	O
the	O
turn	O
of	O
the	O
twentieth	O
century	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
of	O
the	O
twenty-first	O
century	O
there	O
are	O
rules	O
but	O
these	O
are	O
not	O
bureaucratic	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
rankings	O
but	O
not	O
ranks	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
is	O
monitoring	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
disciplinary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
does	O
not	O
automate	O
bureaucratic	O
structures	O
and	O
practices	O
to	O
create	O
some	O
new	O
form	O
of	O
algorithmic	O
bureaucracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
the	O
devices	O
and	O
practices	O
of	O
Taylorism	O
were	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
hierarchical	O
supervision	O
,	O
the	O
devices	O
and	O
practices	O
of	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
take	O
place	O
within	O
a	O
different	O
economy	O
of	O
attention	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
regime	O
of	O
visibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Triangular	O
rather	O
than	O
vertical	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
as	O
a	O
panopticon	O
,	O
the	O
lines	O
of	O
vision	O
in	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
are	O
not	O
lines	O
of	O
supervision.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Society	O
’s	O
explainer	O
for	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
claims	O
that	O
the	O
practice	O
represents	O
a	O
marked	O
departure	O
from	O
earlier	O
management	O
structures	O
that	O
more	O
strongly	O
rely	O
on	O
human	O
supervisors	O
to	O
direct	O
workers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
can	O
provide	O
an	O
effective	O
and	O
efficient	O
means	O
of	O
workforce	O
control	O
and	O
value	O
creation	O
in	O
the	O
contemporary	O
digital	O
economy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
commentators	O
have	O
highlighted	O
several	O
issues	O
that	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
poses	O
,	O
especially	O
for	O
the	O
workers	O
it	O
manages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticisms	O
of	O
the	O
practice	O
often	O
highlight	O
several	O
key	O
issues	O
pertaining	O
to	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
practices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
imperfection	O
and	O
scope	O
of	O
its	O
surveillance	O
and	O
control	O
measures	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
threaten	O
to	O
lock	O
workers	O
out	O
of	O
key	O
decision-making	O
processes	O
;	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
transparency	O
for	O
users	O
and	O
information	O
asymmetries	O
;	O
its	O
potential	O
for	O
bias	O
and	O
discrimination	O
;	O
its	O
dehumanizing	O
tendencies	O
;	O
and	O
its	O
potential	O
to	O
create	O
conditions	O
which	O
sidestep	O
traditional	O
employer-employee	O
accountability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
last	O
point	O
has	O
been	O
especially	O
contentious	O
,	O
as	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
practices	O
have	O
been	O
utilised	O
by	O
firms	O
to	O
reclassify	O
workforces	O
as	O
independent	O
contractors	O
rather	O
than	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
negative	O
consequences	O
particularly	O
affect	O
migrant	O
workers	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
integrated	O
into	O
existing	O
labour	O
processes	O
under	O
worse	O
conditions	O
utilising	O
linguistically	O
configurable	O
algorithmic	B-Algorithm
management	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
