Do you see what I see? A social capital perspective on microtask gig worker opportunity recognition within electronic networks of practice

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Di Gangi, Paul M.; Howard, Jack L.; Goh, Samuel H.; Thatcher, Jason Bennett

Abstract: Microtask gig workers (MGWs) rely on digital platforms to arrange work agreement ... Expand

Abstract: Microtask gig workers (MGWs) rely on digital platforms to arrange work agreements with requesters to complete well-defined microtasks. Many MGWs use an electronic network of practice (ENP) to facilitate information sharing about desirable and undesirable microtasks. This study uses social capital theory to theorize how social capital’s dimensions – structural, cognitive, and relational – shape the development of uncertainty-reducing and individualized-skill benefits. Based on survey data from 436 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers, the findings demonstrate that unique social capital dimensions affect specific ENP benefits. Understanding the communication style of an ENP (i.e., cognitive social capital) positively influences the uncertainty-reducing benefits of microtask information quality (MIQ) related to MTurk work. Combined with expectations of reci­ procity and trust in ENP members (i.e., relational social capital), MIQ shapes microtask opportunity recognition (MOR), whereby individual MGWs identify opportunities to complete financially beneficial microtasks. The present study demonstrates that contextual factors, based on the coopetive nature of microtask ENPs, affect the interrelated structure of social capital theory and its underlying dimensions. Lastly, post hoc findings demon­ strate the influence of MOR on MGWs’ financial performance, challenging previously held assumptions about the role of MIQ within the microtask literature. Collapse

Topics: social capital financial performance platform worker data quality digital platform

Methods: survey post-hoc analysis structural equation modeling mediation analysis theory development

Theories: social capital theory lemon market theory

Are IT Professionals Unique? A Second-Order Meta-Analytic Comparison of Turnover Intentions Across Occupations

2023 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Zaza, Sam; Joseph, Damien; Armstrong, Deborah

Abstract: Information technology (IT) professionals are a strategic human resource for en ... Expand

Abstract: Information technology (IT) professionals are a strategic human resource for enabling competitive advantage through the application of data and technologies. Yet, it remains a challenge for organizations to retain top IT talent as the business context and the nature of work change. Retention strategies that have worked with other business professionals have faced limited success with IT talent, leading some scholars to ask whether the latter are unique in terms of culture, personality, and tools. This study seeks to address this question by (1) undertaking a meta-analysis of studies investigating the turnover intentions of IT professionals, and by (2) conducting a second-order meta-analysis to compare findings between IT and non-IT professionals. The meta-analytic findings identify new antecedents more recently examined in information systems (IS) research while confirming enduring relationships between antecedents and turnover intention. The second-order meta-analysis provides intriguing findings regarding the potential uniqueness of IT professionals. We provide an integrative discussion on the state of turnover intention research within the IS discipline, start a dialog on interdisciplinary comparisons, and offer a forwardlooking agenda for future research. We conclude by calling on scholars to revitalize turnover intention research within the IS field by moving toward fresh theories, fresh constructs, and fresh approaches. Collapse

Topics: IT workforce IT personell turnover IT career job satisfaction database system

Methods: meta analysis literature sample descriptive statistic literature study Student's t-test

How Trust Leads to Commitment on Microsourcing Platforms: Unraveling the Effects of Governance and Third-Party Mechanisms on Triadic Microsourcing Relationships

2021 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Guo, Wenbo; Straub, Detmar; Zhang, Pengzhu; Cai, Zhao

Abstract: IS research has extensively examined the role of trust in client-vendor relatio ... Expand

Abstract: IS research has extensively examined the role of trust in client-vendor relationships, as well as the role of governance in information technology (IT) outsourcing, but little research has been carried out on the latest manifestation of outsourcing-namely, microsourcing, i.e., the sourcing of smaller scale projects. To extend the literature on the traditional IT outsourcing literature-a stream that largely focuses on medium-to-large scale offline projects-we investigate how to develop trust and commitment in a triadic microsourcing relationship which includes the microsourcer, the microsourcee, and the microsourcing platform (MP). We draw on transaction cost economics (TCE) to theorize a model specifically adapted to the microsourcing phenomenon to scrutinize the influences of formal contractual mechanisms, relational mechanisms, and third-party mechanisms. Combining data from a matched sample of microsourcers and microsourcees on the leading Chinese MP, Zbj.com, the paper deploys degree-symmetric modeling (DSM) for construct conceptualization, measurement, and data analysis. DSM is consistent with the holistic view used to develop the research model for triadic relationships. Findings confirm that the MP is critical in delivering governance mechanisms to ensure the development of triadic trust and commitment. The results suggest that researchers and practitioners should pay closer attention to triadic trust and commitment building through proper governance mechanisms in the online microsourcing marketplace. We argue that this work could be extended to other online digital platforms that involve multiple transacting parties. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing privacy digital platform crowdsourcing electronic market

Methods: partial least squares path modeling post-hoc analysis survey theory development field study

Theories: transaction cost economics

Lead Users’ Innovative Work Behavior in Digital Platform Ecosystems: A Large Scale Study of App Developers

2019 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Schaarschmidt, Mario; Stol, Klaas-Jan; Walsh, Gianfranco; Bertram, Matthias

Abstract: Application developers constitute an important part of a digital platform’s ecos ... Expand

Abstract: Application developers constitute an important part of a digital platform’s ecosystem. Knowledge about psychological processes that drive developer behavior in platform ecosystems is scarce. We build on the lead userness construct which comprises two dimensions, trend leadership and high expected benefits from a solution, to explain how developers’ innovative work behavior (IWB) is stimulated. We employ an efficiencyoriented and a social-political perspective to investigate the relationship between lead userness and IWB. The efficiency-oriented view resonates well with the expected benefit dimension of lead userness, while the social-political view might be interpreted as a reflection of trend leadership. Using structural equation modeling, we test our model with a sample of over 400 developers from three platform ecosystems. We find that lead userness is indirectly associated with IWB and the performance-enhancing view to be the stronger predictor of IWB. Finally, we unravel differences between paid and unpaid app developers in platform ecosystems. Collapse

Topics: mobile application digital ecosystem job satisfaction innovation management mobile system

Methods: theory development structural equation modeling SEM tool survey conceptual modelling

Theories: expectancy theory of motivation

Learning from Peers on Social Media Platforms

2011 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 2

Authors: Lu, Yingda; Singh, Param; Sun, Baohong

Abstract: More and more companies have adopted social media platforms for supporting knowl ... Expand

Abstract: More and more companies have adopted social media platforms for supporting knowledge sharing among customers and employees, where individuals ask and answer questions among each other. Hence, it is important to understand the knowledge-sharing behavior of users on these systems. We propose a theoretically-grounded, dynamic structural model with endogenized knowledge-sharing behavior that takes into account “learning by sharing” and “knowledge spillover,” which are two salient features that are enabled by social platforms. Our model recognizes the dynamic and interdependent nature of knowledge-seeking and sharing decisions and allows them to be driven by knowledge increments and social-status building in anticipation of future reciprocal rewards. Collapse

Topics: knowledge sharing social media marketing management decision making social network

Methods: sensitivity analysis design methodology descriptive statistic simulation

Theories: social psychology theory