Paths of Identity Development and Identity Archetypes in Platform-Based Gig Driving

Theory and research on work identity has focused on stable careers and the influence of the organizational setting on identity. However, recent decades have seen the rise of alternate career models. Gig work is diverse, and platform-based gig work in particular is defined by features that may present difficulties to forming a work identity, including precarity, reduced autonomy, the lack of clear occupational title or role, and potential stigma. To better understand the growing sector of platform-based gig workers, organizational behavior scholars must put workers front and center to gain insight into their experiences and how the changing nature of work may challenge traditional assumptions about workers. As such, we sought to identify the driving forces of identity development and resulting forms of identity within platform-based gig work. We conducted focus groups with gig drivers (N=53) and analyzed our data with a grounded theory approach. Our derived model of identity management in platform-based gig work suggests that elements of precarity both function as a threat to self-image and necessitate self-directed behaviors to meet subsistence needs. Image threat and perceived goal conflict with the platform company motivate workers to engage in identity development to defend the self, whereas engaging in behavioral strategies can generate feelings of self-efficacy. These psychological and behavioral processes could lead to one of three distinct identity archetypes: entrepreneurial, dis-identified, and prosocial identities. These identities are characterized by different emotions and attitudes towards the gig work role.