Managed by a Machine: Workers' Job Crafting Abilities in the Case of Lieferando Riders in Germany

Abstract: Background:  Despite the utilization of algorithms as data management tools, they are increasingly used as people management tools to allocate, optimize and evaluate workers. This is especially popular among digital labor platforms of the gig economy as it is seen as one of the core innovations that enabled such platforms. Usually, these platform workers are self-employed, which results in an apparent autonomy while working under a rigid algorithm. For those workers, proactively shaping the job according to their own needs and abilities, commonly known as job crafting, may be increasingly important. As research suggests that job crafting occurs across professions and industries, how is it possible under the constraints of algorithmic management?  Purpose:  This thesis investigates the abilities of German food delivery riders of the company Lieferando to perform job crafting while being managed by an algorithm.  Method:  To meet the purpose of this study, the authors conducted a qualitative study. The data was collected through technology-mediated interviews with riders of the company Lieferando in Germany. The authors applied an online recruitment strategy through various social media websites to find suitable interviewees. Interview partners were picked with a random sampling strategy. The interviews were semi-structured, and the researchers guided the interviewees through a previously prepared topic guide with open-ended questions.  Conclusion:  The results of this study provide empirical evidence that riders of the food delivery company Lieferando engage in job crafting activities although working under the constraints of algorithmic management. The outcomes further show that all riders performed task crafting and cognitive crafting in various ways, whereas engagement in relational crafting was less developed. Riders not only have the ability to modify their work but also enrich it.  The findings of this study allow to draw several theoretical and managerial implications as well as provide possible research opportunities for future studies.