IT professionals across distinct evolving work contexts: a study of the challenges and tensions

信息通信技术部门的劳动力市场灵活性是普遍存在的（Benner, 2002）。结构性变化增加了劳动力市场的不安全感和工作休闲化，这在一定程度上是由众包作为另一种就业形式引发的（bergvall - k<s:1> reborn & Howcroft, 2013:965）。继2008年经济衰退之后，再加上英国脱欧后的投票，英国的全职就业人数有所下降（Monaghan, 2014; Elliott, 2017）。在这种背景下，个人可能会发现自己陷入不稳定的就业形式，不一定是出于选择（帕金森，2017），由于金融资本主义的动态，他们的情况可能会加剧（汤普森，2013）。事实上，公司内部的人可以感受到挑战和紧张（例如Agboola & Salawu， 2011）。工会权力和联合监管的下降削弱了个人的力量（丹尼尔斯和弗伦奇，2006年）。特别是，“ICT工作通常被认为是高度个人主义的劳动，典型特征是工会会员水平低”（Marks & Baldry， 2009年引用于Marks等人2017:2），群体工人集体主义尤其黯淡（Felstiner, 2011:152）。再加上缺乏法律保护（英国职工大会，2008年），工人们的境况明显更糟。目的是了解劳动过程的挑战和紧张局势内部和跨ICT专业人员的独特和不断发展的工作环境。主题包括：控制制度、技能轨迹、权力关系、工作强化、新技术和现有技术的作用以及削减成本战略。众筹是一个新的和研究不足的领域（Briken, et al. 2017）。然而，组织对其的使用似乎与更广泛的叙述相互关联（例如Briken等人，2017:3），并且仅构成碎片化就业结构的一部分（Greenbaum,1998:138）。研究questions1。在ICT专业人员和管理人员不同的不断发展的工作环境中，劳动过程的挑战和紧张关系是什么？是否使用临时及/或人群工作人员？若有，原因为何？这在多大程度上以及如何影响员工/工人和管理层的权力关系？信息通信技术专业员工/工人如何在不同的不断变化的工作环境中和跨环境地利用自主权、控制力、技能、自由裁量权和异议？由于新技术的出现，大型信息通信技术公司内部的控制制度发生了怎样的变化？由于新技术的出现，大型ICT公司的技能和能力要求发生了怎样的变化？这对权力关系有何影响？方法采用现场和参与者的积极抽样（见Bryman和Bell， 2015）。参加者由资讯科技专业人士组成。最初的研究将通过已建立的信息通信技术公司来了解他们使用外包的情况和原因。方法学三角测量，例如参与性观察的规划将在稍后考虑。时间尺度：贡献、成果和传播本研究将完善和发展有关ICT专业人员在不同和不断变化的工作环境中面临的挑战和紧张关系的现有知识。关于众工，很少有关于这种工作组织形式、雇佣关系的实证研究，也很少有证据表明在零工经济中普遍存在集体主义或抵抗（Briken等人，2017）。后者可能有助于说明本研究核心问题的副产品。总的来说，这个博士项目有可能对文献做出相当大的贡献。博士学位旨在与各种利益相关者（例如EHRC，工会和人力资源部门）建立联系，以确保研究是相关的，并且它可以有所作为。除了博士论文外，该项目还将在研究期间撰写一系列简报论文、会议论文以及为高质量学术期刊撰写文章。

BackgroundLabour market flexibility in the ICT sector is prevalent (Benner, 2002). Structural changes have led to increased labour market insecurity and work casualization, triggered in part through crowdsourcing as an alternative form of employment (Bergvall-Kåreborn & Howcroft, 2013:965). Following the 2008 recession, and compounded by the post-Brexit vote, full-time employment has fallen in the UK (Monaghan, 2014; Elliott, 2017). Against this backdrop, individuals might find themselves falling into the precarious forms of employment, not necessarily by choice (Parkinson, 2017), with their situation potentially exacerbated due to the dynamics of financialised capitalism (Thompson, 2013). Indeed, people within the firm could perceive challenges and tensions (e.g. Agboola & Salawu, 2011). Individuals have been weakened by a decline in trade union power and joint regulation (Daniels and French, 2006). In particular, "ICT work is often cited as highly individualistic labour, typified by low levels of trade union membership" (Marks & Baldry, 2009 cited in Marks, et al. 2017:2), with crowd-worker collectivism especially bleak (Felstiner, 2011:152). Combined with a lack of legal protections (TUC, 2008), workers appear distinctly worse off.The aim is to understand the labour process challenges and tensions within and across the distinct and evolving work contexts of ICT professionals. The themes include: control regimes, skill trajectory, power relations, work intensification, the role of new and existing technologies and cost-cutting strategies. Crowd-working is a new and under-researched area (Briken, et al. 2017). However, its use by organisations appears to be interconnected into a wider narrative (e.g. Briken, et al. 2017:3) and forms just one part of a fragmented employment structure (Greenbaum,1998:138).Research questions1. What are the labour process challenges and tensions within the distinct evolving work contexts for ICT professionals and management?2. Are temporary and/or crowd-workers utilised, and if so, why? To what extent and how does this affect power relations for employees/workers and management?3. How do ICT professional employees/workers leverage autonomy, control, skill, discretion and dissent, within and across distinct evolving work contexts?4. How are control regimes changing within large ICT firms as a result of new technologies?5. How are skills and competency requirements in large ICT firms changing due to new technologies? How does this affect power relations?MethodsPurposive sampling of sites and participants will be adopted (see Bryman and Bell, 2015).Participants will comprise of IT professionals. The initial research will use access through established ICT firms to see what their use of outsourcing may be and why. Methodological triangulation, e.g. planning in participant observation will be considered later.Timescale:Contributions, outcomes and disseminationThis study will refine and develop the existing knowledge concerning the challenges and tensions across the distinct and evolving work contexts of ICT professionals. Concerning crowd-workers, there is little in the way of empirical studies on this form of work organisation, the employment relationship, and little evidence of collectivism or resistance within the gig economy in general (Briken, et al. 2017). The latter of which might work towards illustrating a by-product of this study's core question. Overall this PhD project has the potential to make a considerable contribution to the literature.The PhD aims to connect with a variety of stakeholders (e.g. the EHRC, trade unions and HR departments), in order to ensure that the research is relevant and that it can make a difference. In addition to the PhD thesis, the project will also produce a series of briefing papers over the duration of the study, conference papers, as well as articles for high quality academic journals.