Gig and Project Based Work Distributed Scientific Work Studying Emerging Work: Co-Working; Digital Nomadism; Using Scholarly Infrastructure Steve Sawyer, Sarika Sharma, JP Rancy, Emma Allen, Anjelica Torcivia, Alaina Caruso School of Information Studies, Syracuse University Syracuse, NY; We focus on changes in work and working arrangements, looking at what the “second generation of computerization” means for work. ‘Second generation’ computerization builds from our reliance on computing and digital information (from first generation of computerization). Workers and employers are exploring new forms of collaboration and interaction that are only possible with digital mediation. Two specific contributions we pursue: Conceptualizing the technological arrangements embedded into work (using concepts of infrastructure and sociotechnical perspectives) and Theorizing the ways in which contemporary work is changing. Steve Sawyer, Professor Sarika Sharma, Doctoral Candidate JP Rancy, Doctoral Student Emma Allen, Post-baccalaureate Research Fellow Anjelica Torcivia, Post-baccalaureate Research Fellow Alaina Caruso, Undergraduate Research Fellow FIND picture Nomadic Work Gig and Project Based Work Infrastructure Building on 15+ years studying workers who move around as a part of their work, whether it be a predictable route, or if it is driven by gigs/projects, we’ve identified two commonalities across these workers – independent of these worker’s particular professional expertise Digital assemblages (see 1) Infrastructural competence (see 2) This work done with colleagues Ingrid Erickson, Mohammad Jarrahi, Rolf Wigand and Kevin Crowston We are interested in what skills gig-workers need to succeed. We know work is increasingly being broken into smaller pieces, and made distinct from employment. And, of late, we are focusing on who has access to gigs and project-based work, as the many workplace protections for gender, race, ethnicity, and hiring practices are not in place for gig work. We are doing this field work right now. Results are pretty clear: people from under-represented populations have very little access to high-paying project-based work. Infrastructures are enduring arrangements, reliant on standards, rely on complex governance structured, and are designed for the long term. These are sociotechnical entities (see 3 and 4). Platforms dominate work, but differ from infrastructure in that they tend to be owned by a company and pursue specific corporate goals. Data Work Focusing on organizing for science data sharing and reuse organizations Initial findings: Multiple paths to becoming a data organization (grass- roots, professional society, publishers, libraries, government) Wide variance in data use policies, and data services provided, even in same intellectual community Three dominant infrastructure models. Distributed Scientific Work Looking at distributed scientific collaboration practices Distributed collaboration is common and often successful. It is also deadline-driven, with minimal attention to processes and documenting. This means it is messy, characterized by poor version control, too many files, routines changes. This work done with colleagues Carsten Oesterlund and Matt Willis. The material based on the work supported by NSG grants: SBE 1665386 "Access to the Gig Economy: Infrastructural Competence and the Participation of Underrepresented Populations" IIS 1527410 "Governance of Scholarly Digital Infrastructures”   ACI 1221945 "VOSS: Documents and the Doing of Science” Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Works Cited The pull together personalized “digital assemblages” in productive ways (see Sawyer, S, Wigand, R. and Crowston, K. (2014) “Digital Assemblages: Evidence and Theorizing from a Study of Residential Real Estate,” New Technology, Work, and Employment, 29(1), 40-54. DOI: http://10.1111/ntwe.12020. They develop ‘infrastructural competence” that allows them to move across material and digital borders while being productive (see Erickson, I, Sawyer, S., Jarrahi, M. H. (2018). Infrastructural Competence. In D. Ribes and J. Vertesi (Eds). Digital STS Handbook. University of Chicago Press, Princeton, NJ, in press See: Sawyer, S. and Hartswood, M (2014) “Advancing Social Informatics,” in Rosenbaum, H. and Fichman, P. (Eds.) Social Informatics: Past, Present and Future, Cambridge Scholarly Publications, Cambridge, UK Sawyer, S. and Jarrahi, M. (2014) “The Sociotechnical Perspective,” in Tucker, A. and Topi, H. (Ed), 5-1 - 5-27, Computing Handbook: Information Systems and Information Technology, 3rd edition, Chapman and Hall, New York.