Different systems, similar experiences: felt accountability in labor platforms and traditional organizations

Accountability systems are the core mechanisms by which workers are motivated and controlled. Sourced from customer ratings and powered by algorithmic control, the accountability systems of labor platforms are a substantial departure from those designed by human resources departments for use in traditional organizations. While considerable attention has been paid to the impacts of algorithmic control, it is ultimately a worker's felt accountability that influences their behaviors and attitudes in the workplace. However, to date, there has been an absence of theory that explains how labor platforms' accountability systems result in felt accountability. As such, our paper starts with an examination of the underexplored link between accountability systems and workers' felt accountability. We next argue that features of the accountability environment (source, intensity, salience, and focus) can be described both objectively and phenomenologically. We then make use of this distinction to detail the differences between the accountability systems of labor platforms and traditional organizations and theorize about resultant differences in workers' felt accountability. Finally, we discuss implications for the accountability and human resource management literatures, including the importance of the unexpected similarity between traditional workers' and platform workers' felt accountability.