The Biography of an Algorithm: Performing algorithmic technologies in organizations

Abstract

Algorithms are ubiquitous in modern organizations. Typically, researchers have viewed algorithms as self-contained computational tools that either magnify organizational capabilities or generate unintended negative consequences. To overcome this limited understanding of algorithms as stable entities, we propose two moves. The first entails building on a performative perspective to theorize algorithms as entangled, relational, emergent, and nested assemblages that use theories—and the sociomaterial networks they invoke—to automate decisions, enact roles and expertise, and perform calculations. The second move entails building on our dynamic perspective on algorithms to theorize how algorithms evolve as they move across contexts and over time. To this end, we introduce a biographical perspective on algorithms which traces their evolution by focusing on key “biographical moments.” We conclude by discussing how our performativity-inspired biographical perspective on algorithms can help management and organization scholars better understand organizational decision-making, the spread of technologies and their logics, and the dynamics of practices and routines.

Big data in het veiligheidsdomein: onderzoek naar big data-toepassingen bij de Nederlandse politie en de positieve effecten hiervan voor de politieorganisatie

“…Wat wel nieuw is, is dat het verzamelen en bewerken van gegevens met hulpmiddelen tegenwoordig plaatsvindt door middel van berekeningen door algoritmes die worden toegepast op big data. Ook nieuw is dat het gebruik van big data-toepassingen leidt tot 'veranderende werkprocessen' (Doeleman et al, 2019) in de politieorganisatie, wat zoveel wil zeggen dat de technische mogelijkheden die big data met zich meebrengen ook effecten hebben op de politieorganisatie en de mensen in kwestie (Huigen & Zuurmond, 1994;Faraj, Pachidi & Sayegh, 2018;Glaser, Pollock & D'Adderio, 2021). Dit brengt ons tot de vraag welke positieve effecten big data-toepassingen kunnen hebben voor de politieorganisatie zelf.…”

Distributed seeing: Algorithms and the reconfiguration of the workplace, a case of 'automated' trading

“…Yet, we think there is intellectual merit in treating them as analytically distinct. As Glaser et al (2021) have recently argued, extant literature has treated algorithms as primarily a 'computational tool', as technology independent from its design and application in specific organizational context. We concur with their assessment of the literature and, in fact, argue that this often oversimplified view on algorithms and their effects on the workplace is exactly what has given prevalence to distinct automation 'versus' augmentation perspectives.…”

“…We concur with their assessment of the literature and, in fact, argue that this often oversimplified view on algorithms and their effects on the workplace is exactly what has given prevalence to distinct automation 'versus' augmentation perspectives. In contrast to clean cut distinctions, a reconfiguration view on algorithms in the workplace is more sensitive to what Glaser et al (2021) discuss as the 'biography' of an algorithm: the design, introduction and implementation of an algorithm is part of a wider sociomaterial assemblage that is shaped by and in turn shapes organizational context and practices. They alter how we see the world, offer new viewpoints, and may challenge existing ways of seeing.…”

“…Previous work has shown, for instance, that algorithms are not neutral nor objective, but that existing inequalities and political goals are reinforced in the process of designing and implementing algorithms (e.g. Eubanks, 2018;Gillespie, 2014;Glaser, Pollock, & D'Adderio, 2021;Introna, 2016;Irani, 2015). Studies in this tradition, while exploring a wide range of societal and organizational contexts, converge on the insight that algorithms do interfere with the knowledge practices of professionals, to such an extent that they "have the potential to profoundly transform how work is done" (Orlikowski & Scott, 2016, p. 91).…”

Digital affordances and remote public audit practice

“…Often criticized for their opaque nature (Raisch & Krakowski, 2021), these are computational tools that specify the precise sequence of steps required to solve a problem, thereby augmenting and automating practices or routines (Glaser et al., 2021). Operating outside the user's perception, algorithms and scripts carry power relations and expectations from their promoters (Glaser et al., 2021); for instance, the rules drive routines for specific tasks or problem‐solving (Kitchin, 2017). Regarding the tasks run by such automating devices, auditor agency is reduced; however, the auditor is afforded by script outputs such as the red flags, tables, and ratings delivered by notifications or in dashboards.…”