Institutional Logic Multiplicity Behind the Hiring Processes - In-depth study of a Swedish online platform

Abstract: Recent times have witnessed a nascent, highly dynamic and volatile economy that is transforming and determining the way modern businesses and transactions operate with the intervention of digital economic activity and online platforms, shaping the world around us. As a third-party intermediary between producers (sellers) and consumers (buyers), platform organizations that create value with trust control mechanisms make traditional organizational structures a thing of the past. The stark discrepancy in the number of employees formally hired by platforms versus gig workers has drawn the attention of scholars. Bringing the spotlight to the hiring processes implemented throughout the intricate structure of online platforms is a matter of urgency. This paper dives further into the institutional logics that explain such behaviors from multiple perspectives. Indulging the institutional complexities and logic multiplicity along the way provides context to the systems and behaviors in place. We conduct a case study of an online platform engaged in food delivery in Sweden, point out that the corporate logic, market logic and community logic are the guidelines for shaping hiring behaviors of this aligned organization, and describe the coexistence mode of these logics.