Speaker: Dr. Bastian Molinaro 

Abstract: Organizations increasingly use algorithms to manage employees, a phenomenon referred to as Algorithmic Management. This novel form of management is particularly prevalent on digital platforms, where it enables the efficient coordination of large workforces, but it is also increasingly adopted in traditional organizational settings. Due to their opacity and perceived unfairness, such systems often trigger Algoactivism, defined as individual and collective practices aimed at bypassing, manipulating, exploiting, or protesting algorithmic control. Existing research has primarily focused on individual worker responses and thus lacks a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of different forms of Algoactivism. To address this limitation, we examine the dual role of legitimacy judgments and collective identity as key explanatory mechanisms. Drawing on survey data from 867 workers, we find that both legitimacy judgments and collective identity significantly influence Algoactivism as well as continuance intention. Specifically, these constructs help explain how Algorithmic Management shapes worker responses. In addition, we find that transparency moderates the relationship between Algorithmic Management and perceived legitimacy, such that greater transparency mitigates negative legitimacy perceptions. Interestingly, our results indicate that Algorithmic Management does not weaken but rather strengthens collective identity. We interpret this finding through the lens of shared mental models, suggesting that uniform Algorithmic Management fosters common experiences that enhance collective identification among workers. Our study contributes to research on Algorithmic Management and Algoactivism by clarifying key underlying mechanisms and highlighting the boundary condition of transparency.

Short Bio: Bastian Molinaro is an assistant professor and research group leader at the Institute for Digital Management and New Media (DMM) at LMU Munich. His group investigates various topics that relate to Process & Algorithmic Management. Before joining LMU Munich in 2022, Bastian worked as a research and teaching associate at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna). He was a visiting scholar at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Liechtenstein, and McGill University. Bastian’s dissertation entitled “Organizational Complexity: Insights from Digital Trace Data Research” was awarded the Stephan Koren-Award for outstanding dissertations by WU Vienna. His research is either published or forthcoming in journals such as Information Sciences, Journal of Information Technology, and the Journal of Strategic Information Systems, amongst others. Bastian is associate editor at Business & Information System Engineering.