“No Matter I’ll Be Selected; in the Next Challenge I Will Be Better!” – Understanding Non-Technical Skill Development in the Gig Economy

2022 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Frenzel-Piasentin, Adeline; Glaser, Karoline; Toutaoui, Jonas; Veit, Daniel J.

Abstract: While prior research on gig work environments studied necessary technical skills ... Expand

Abstract: While prior research on gig work environments studied necessary technical skills for information systems development (ISD) professionals and how they can be developed, the improvement of non-technical skills (NTS) has been rarely explored. However, to successfully engage in the gig work economy, the need for strong NTS is increasing. Based on an experiential learning theory (ELT) perspective, we explore how ISD professionals engaging in the gig economy develop NTS by following grounded theory methodology. Our results are threefold: first, we identify crucial NTS for gig workers. Second, we uncover how these NTS are developed in different phases of adapting to working on gig economy platforms. Third, we reveal several strategies for thriving in the gig economy. Based on our findings we develop a process model of non-technical skill development and discuss this model in relation to implications for gig economy literature and practice. Collapse

Topics: platform worker IT skill ELT Upwork Topcoder

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative coding business process modeling survey grounded theory

Theories: experiential learning theory

How Managers Maintain Control Through Collaborative Repair: Evidence from Platform-Mediated “Gigs”

2021 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Rahman, Hatim A.; Valentine, Melissa A.

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using ... Expand

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using platform labor markets to hire and manage workers—attempt to maintain control when managing skilled contractors. We conducted an inductive field study analyzing interactions between client managers and contractors in software development “gigs” mediated by a platform labor market. The platform provided multiple tools client managers could use for control, including in response to unexpected events. We found that, when managers used the tools to exert coercive control over contractors acting unexpectedly, it backfired and contributed to uncompleted project outcomes. In contrast, when they refrained from using the tools for coercive control in such circumstances and instead engaged in what we call collaborative repair, their actions contributed to completed project outcomes. Collaborative repair refers to interactions that surface misaligned interpretations of a situation and help parties negotiate new, reciprocal expectations that restore trust and willingness to continue an exchange. Client managers’ attempts at collaborative repair yielded fuller understanding of project-related breakdowns and shared investment in new expectations, facilitating effective control and completed projects. This study extends prior theories of control by characterizing the new client manager role created by platforms and demonstrating how initiating repair is integral for managers’ capacity to accomplish control in these comparatively brittle work relationships. Collapse

Topics: digital platform systems development platform work IT development project IT project

Methods: qualitative interview archival database qualitative coding field study constant comparative analysis

Crowdsourcing as a strategic IS sourcing phenomenon: Critical review and insights for future research

2020 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Nevo, Dorit; Kotlarsky, Julia

Abstract: Fueled by the development of Internet-based platforms that provided its technolo ... Expand

Abstract: Fueled by the development of Internet-based platforms that provided its technological foundation, and the need for an agile and uniquely skilled workforce, crowdsourcing has grown from the grassroots, with a burgeoning body of research investigating its many aspects. To gain insight into organizational crowdsourcing as a strategic IS sourcing phenomenon, this paper thoroughly reviews the literature to identify both areas of saturation and gaps, with a focus on the strategic organizational context. Pulling together knowledge on specific aspects of crowdsourcing, we first offer a high-level analysis of definitions to reveal rather broad coverage of various activities involving the crowd, many of which do not involve sourcing. We further build on the literature to establish boundary conditions and clarify the focus on crowdsourcing. This is followed by an in-depth critical analysis of selected studies published in top IS and general management journals to date. Through this review, we identify key themes that emerge out of the crowdsourcing literature and synthesize the literature to chart a more focused research path moving forward. Guided by our analysis, we offer a road map for future research that brings together fine-grained insights from existing crowdsourcing studies towards developing a high-level, macro-perspective of the crowdsourcing phenomenon and its strategic impact. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing IS sourcing organizational context marketing management database system

Methods: literature study structured literature research literature sample mixed method experiment

Theories: loss aversion

CROWDWORK PLATFORMS: JUXTAPOSING CENTRALIZED AND DECENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE

2019 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Gol, Elham Shafiei; Avital, Michel; Stein, Mari-Klara

Abstract: Crowdwork is a novel form of digitally mediated work arrangement that is managed ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdwork is a novel form of digitally mediated work arrangement that is managed and organized through online labor platforms. This paper focuses on the governance of platforms that facilitate creative work—that is, complex work tasks that require high-level skill and creative workers. Crowdwork platform governance faces numerous challenges as a result of technology mediation, scalable and distributed workers, and temporary work arrangements. Creative crowdwork platforms, such as Topcoder, typically require additional governance structures to manage complex tasks. However, we know relatively little about creative crowdwork platform governance, as most existing studies focus on routine work platforms, such as Amazon Mechanical Turk. Accordingly, this paper explores how incumbent and insurgent creative crowdwork platforms are governed under centralized and decentralized modes. We conducted a comparative case study based on the analysis of two different cases: Topcoder, a successful commercial platform with a largely centralized governance structure, and CanYa, an emerging innovative platform based on blockchain technology with more decentralized governance. We identified and classified different governance elements related to work control and work coordination. In addition, we explored the characteristics of creative crowdwork platform governance with different degrees of centralization. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing platform governance Topcoder word of mouth online reputation system

Methods: qualitative interview multiple case study case study qualitative coding cross sectional research

A Structural Analysis of the Role of Superstars in Crowdsourcing Contests

2019 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 18

Authors: Zhang, Shunyuan; Singh, Param Vir; Ghose, Anindya

Abstract: We investigate the long-term impact of competing against superstars in crowdsour ... Expand

Abstract: We investigate the long-term impact of competing against superstars in crowdsourcing contests. Using a unique 50-month longitudinal panel data set on 1677 software design crowdsourcing contests, we illustrate a learning effect where participants are able to improve their skills (learn) more when competing against a superstar than otherwise. We show that an individual’s probability of winning in subsequent contests increases significantly more after she has participated in a contest with a superstar coder than otherwise. We build a dynamic structural model with individual heterogeneity where individuals choose contests to participate in and where learning in a contest happens through an information theory-based Bayesian learning framework. We find that individuals with lower ability to learn tend to value monetary reward highly, and vice versa. The results indicate that individuals who greatly prefer monetary reward tend to win fewer contests, as they rarely achieve the high skills needed to win a contest. Counterfactual analysis suggests that instead of avoiding superstars, individuals should be encouraged to participate in contests with superstars early on, as it can significantly push them up the learning curve, leading to higher quality and a higher number of submissions per contest. Overall, our study shows that individuals who are willing to forego short-term monetary rewards by participating in contests with superstars have much to gain in the long term.The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0767. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing Topcoder systems design user behavior systems development

Methods: simulation longitudinal research descriptive statistic time series analysis Markov chain Monte Carlo

Theories: information theory

Why Take the Risk? Motivations of Highly Skilled Workers to Participate in Crowdworking Platforms

2018 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 18

Authors: Gol, Elham Shafiei; Stein, Mari-Klara; Avital, Michel

Abstract: Crowdwork is a new class of work arrangement that involves compensated work orga ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdwork is a new class of work arrangement that involves compensated work organized through online labor platforms. Crowdwork platforms that focus on complex projects and require skillful, creative workers rely on winner-takes-all competition among multiple crowdworkers, where the likelihood of winning and getting paid is relatively small. Given that skillful, creative workers are in high demand, it begs the question why they would take the risk involved in crowdwork in lieu of the certainty that comes with traditional work arrangements. Subsequently, in this short paper, we explore what motivates such professionals to seek work in crowdwork platforms. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study based on interviews with crowdworkers on the Topcoder platform. Our preliminary findings suggest that while highly-skilled, creative crowdworkers may exhibit risk-seeking behavior in the context of employment, they are motivated to endure the assumed risk by a sense of psychological safety, a sense of autonomy as well as self-growth opportunities, which are critical to attracting and retaining professional workers. This intriguing finding suggests that gig economy platforms may offer not only ephemeral jobs, but also an appealing work environment that can nurture professional workers and cultivate sustainable communities of practice. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing Topcoder intrinsic motivation LinkedIn video conference

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative coding literature study initial data analysis qualitative content analysis

Theories: motivation theory

Learn or Earn? - Intelligent Task Recommendation for Competitive Crowdsourced Software Development

2018 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Karim, Muhammad Rezaul; Yang, Ye; Messinger, David; Ruhe, Guenther

Abstract: Background: Competitive crowdsourced development encourages online software deve ... Expand

Abstract: Background: Competitive crowdsourced development encourages online software developers to register for tasks offered on the crowdsourcing platform and implement them in a competitive mode. As a large number of tasks are uploaded daily, the scenery of competition is changing continuously. Without appropriate decision support, online developers often make task decisions in an ad hoc and intuitive manner. Aims: To provide dynamic decision support for crowd developers to select the task that fit best to their personal learning versus earning objectives, taking into account the actual competitiveness situation. Method: We propose a recommendation system called EX2 ("EX-Square") that combines both explorative ("learn") and exploitative ("earn") search for tasks, based on a systematic analysis of workers preference patterns, technologies hotness, and the projection of winning chances. The implemented prototype allows dynamic recommendations that reflect task updates and competition dynamics at any given time. Results: Based on evaluation from 4007 tasks monitored over a period of 2 years, we show that EX2 can explore and adjust task recommendations corresponding to context changes, and individual learning preferences of workers. A survey was also conducted with 14 actual crowd workers, showing that intelligent decision support from EX2 is considered useful and valuable. Conclusions: With support from EX2, workers benefit from the tool from getting customized recommendations, and the platform provider gets a higher chance to better cover the breadth of technology needs in case recommendations are taken. Collapse

Topics: recommender system Topcoder crowdsourcing application programming interface decision support

Methods: survey design artifact machine learning term frequency–inverse document frequency experiment

Know When to Run: Recommendations in Crowdsourcing Contests

2018 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 30

Authors: Mo, Jiahui; Sarkar, Sumit; Menon, Syam

Abstract: Crowdsourcing contests have emerged as an innovative way for firms to solve busi ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdsourcing contests have emerged as an innovative way for firms to solve business problems by acquiring ideas from participants external to the firm. As the number of participants on crowdsourcing contest platforms has increased, so has the number of tasks that are open at any time. This has made it difficult for solvers to identify tasks in which to participate. We present a framework to recommend tasks to solvers who wish to participate in crowdsourcing contests. The existence of competition among solvers is an important and unique aspect of this environment, and our framework considers the competition a solver would face in each open task. As winning a task depends on performance, we identify a theory of performance and reinforce it with theories from learning, motivation, and tournaments. This augmented theory of performance guides us to variables specific to crowdsourcing contests that could impact a solver’s winning probability. We use these variables as input into various probability prediction models adapted to our context, and make recommendations based on the probability or the expected payoff of the solver winning an open task. We validate our framework using data from a real crowdsourcing platform. The recommender system is shown to have the potential of improving the success rates of solvers across all abilities. Recommendations have to be made for open tasks and we find that the relative rankings of tasks at similar stages of their time lines remain remarkably consistent when the tasks close. Further, we show that deploying such a system should benefit not only the solvers, but also the seekers and the platform itself. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing recommender system personality logistics management intrinsic motivation

Methods: experiment support vector machine Bayesian network naïve bayes artificial neural network

Theories: performance theory

Trust antecedents, trust and online microsourcing adoption: An empirical study from the resource perspective

2016 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 13

Authors: Lu, Baozhou; Zhang, Tao; Wang, Liangyan; Keller, L. Robin

Abstract: The online microsourcing marketplace is a new form of outsourcing that is organi ... Expand

Abstract: The online microsourcing marketplace is a new form of outsourcing that is organized over online platforms for the performance of relatively small service tasks. Microsourcing offers a more flexible way to hire contract workers or to outsource. Prior research indicates the importance of individual-level trust when choosing providers in online sourcing marketplaces. We argue that institution-based trust is also crucial for online microsourcing adoptions. Drawing on a trust framework adapted from prior literature, this paper uncovers the trust-building mechanisms in online microsourcing marketplaces, as well as the marketplace-related attributes for online microsourcing adoption. The proposed research model is tested with a data set collected from the clients of a typical marketplace in China — zhubajie.com. The findings suggest that perceptions of resource-based attributes of a marketplace, together with the perceived effectiveness of its intermediary role, can help to build trust towards the marketplace, enhancing trust towards the community of providers and driving the intent to adopt online microsourcing. Thus, this paper confirms the roles of online marketplaces as both the resource pool and the transaction intermediary from the perspective of clients. Finally, this paper not only indicates the relevance of resource theories in understanding this new trend in outsourcing, but also suggests the importance of trusted relational governance in governing online microsourcing transactions. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing electronic market electronic business ease of use perceived usefulness

Methods: survey design partial least squares path modeling qualitative content analysis survey structural equation modeling

Theories: resource based view of the firm technology acceptance model

Examining the antecedent factors of online microsourcing

2015 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 9

Authors: Lu, Baozhou; Hirschheim, Rudy; Schwarz, Andrew

Abstract: In this paper, we empirically investigate what motivates firms to engage in the ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, we empirically investigate what motivates firms to engage in the new outsourcing practice known as online microsourcing. Five antecedent factors involved in making online microsourcing decisions, mainly representing economic and strategic considerations, were identified based on prior research. Our research model was tested with data collected from one of the primary online microsourcing platforms. Our findings suggested that online microsourcing decisions are made more for the convenience of management and for strategic reasons than for purposes of cost reduction. Thus, this study indicates the relevance of a resource-based theory for online microsourcing. Because online microsourcing is generally characterized by small outsourcing deals, with small firms as clients, this paper introduces a new outsourcing practice to the current outsourcing landscape. Finally implications for theory and practice are presented. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing competitive advantage electronic market strategic management missing data

Methods: partial least squares regression data transformation literature study confirmatory factor analysis factor analysis

Theories: resource based view of the firm