Mapping themes in the study of new work practices

• Published date: 01 November 2019
• Author: Nathalie Mitev,Jeremy Aroles,François‐Xavier Vaujany
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12146
• Date: 01 November 2019

© 2019 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and

John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mapping new work practices 285

New Technology, Work and Employment 34:3

ISSN 1468-005X

Mapping themes in the study of new work

practices

Jeremy Aroles, Nathalie Mitev and François-Xavier

de Vaujany

Both shaping and shaped by technological, economic and social

facets, the world of work has witnessed a wide array of chang-

es. This review article sets out to provide a synthesis of some

of the main directions and insights of existing research con-

nected to the new world of work. In particular, we approached

the topic of new work practices through four key dimensions:

(1) Conceptual and methodological dimensions in the study of

new work practices; (2) Spatial and temporal manifestations

of new work practices in the collaborative economy; (3) Indi-

viduals, organizations and new work congurations; (4) Power

and control. The review article critically discusses the future of

work and argues that the ‘new’ world of work simply repeats

asymmetrical power relations and inequalities that character-

ise work activities, with the potential of exacerbating even fur-

ther disparities, inequalities and precarity.

Keywords: future of work, gig economy, inequalities, platforms,

precarious work, spatiality and temporality of work.

Introduction

Globalization, economic volatility and technological changes have engendered a wide

array of transformations in the world of work (Brocklehurst, 2001; Tietze and Musson,

2005; Messenger and Gschwind, 2016; Kingma, 2018). New work arrangements, which

are becoming increasingly prevalent (Cappelli and Keller, 2013; Petriglieri etal., 2018),

not only affect the structure of labour markets (Sweet and Meiksins, 2013) but also the

ways in which work activities are carried out and spatially organized. In that context,

work practices are depicted as increasingly exible, autonomous, collaborative and

Jeremy Aroles (Jeremy.aroles@durham.ac.uk) Durham University Business School, Mill Hill Lane,

DH1 3LB, Durham, UK. Jeremy Aroles is an assistant professor in organisation studies at Durham

University. His research interests gravitate around the emergence of new ways of working, the man-

agement of culture, and the relation between ction and organisational worlds.

Nathalie Mitev, King’s College London, King’s Business School, Bush House, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG,

UK. Nathalie Mitev is a senior research fellow at King’s College London. Her research interests concern

the organisational aspects of information systems and technology from a social, cultural and political

perspective.

François‐Xavier de Vaujany, University Paris-Dauphine, Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny,

75016 Paris, France. François-Xavier de Vaujany is a professor of management & organisation studies

at the Université Paris-Dauphine. His research is focused on the emergence and legitimation of digital

innovations and new work practices.