Commodified, Outsourced Authority: A Research Agenda for Algorithmic Management at Work

Abstract

This paper argues that algorithmic management should be conceptualised as a form of commodified and outsourced authority over employees. Drawing on an interdisciplinary framework that integrates insights from legal theory, organisational studies, and social computing, I advance a theoretical model in which IT companies that design, sell, and operate “bosses-as-a-service” systems effectively share with employers (parts of) authority over employees within subordinate employment relationships. Overall, this paper aims to critically engage with the existing literature by highlighting regulatory lacks in addressing algorithmic management as a commodified and outsourced form of authority.