Dear Colleagues,
As we watch the world change around us, with fewer people working in traditional organizations, full time and for all their lives and choosing instead to work independently, contracting with various organizations, or selling directly to market, it's clear that as a field, we may need to morph and adapt in order to stay relevant. There is great writing being done documenting this trend towards independent and gig work, on the potential for exploitation, and on the political ramifications. What we know less about is how to help people to thrive while working in this manner when they lack an organization and all that it offers to individuals (a rooted sense of place, stable identity, human contact....not to mention health care benefits and a (somewhat) secure income.) How do you create a meaningful and sustaining work life when you work independently, on your own, outside of organizations?
We recently published a paper that we hope will stimulate research on this important topic. We bring it to your attention because so many people are becoming interested in studying independent "gig" workers in a variety of areas and with a variety of research questions. Our hope is that the framework in this paper will be useful to many. You can find the paper here and here is the citation
Ashford, S. J., Caza, B. & Reid, E. (2018). Individuals in the New World of Work: A Research Agenda. In A. P. Brief & B. M. Staw, (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior. New York, Elsevier 38, 23-41.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.001
To pique your interest, the abstract is below. Please forward this message to others you think may be interested in this topic.
Best,
Sue, Brianna & Erin
Individuals in the New World of Work: A Research Agenda
Susan J. Ashford, Brianna Barker Caza, Erin M. Reid
Abstract
How work gets done has changed fundamentally in recent decades, with a growing number of people working independently, outside of organizations in a style of work quite different from that assumed by many organizational behavior theories. To remain relevant, our research on individual work behaviors and the capabilities that enable them must also adapt to this new world of work, the so-called "gig economy." We first describe the predictable challenges that individuals confront when working in this manner, including remaining viable, staying organized, maintaining identity, sustaining relationships, and coping emotionally. We then articulate a research agenda that pushes our field to focus on the specific capabilities and behaviors that enable people to manage these challenges effectively so as to survive or thrive in this new world of work. Foregrounding individual agency, we articulate the work and relational behaviors necessary for such thriving, and the cognitive and emotional capabilities that undergird them.
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Erin Reid
McMaster University
Hamilton ON
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