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Algorithms as organizational figuration: The sociotechnical arrangements of a fintech start-up
| Content Provider | SAGE Publishing |
|---|---|
| Author | Dahlman, Sara Gulbrandsen, Ib T. Just, Sine N. |
| Copyright Year | 2021 |
| Abstract | Building on critical approaches that understand algorithms in terms of communication, culture and organization, this paper offers the supplementary conceptualization of algorithms as organizational figuration, defined as material and meaningful sociotechnical arrangements that develop in spatiotemporal processes and are shaped by multiple enactments of affordance–agency relations. We develop this conceptualization through a case study of a Danish fintech start-up that uses machine learning to create opportunities for sustainable pensions investments. By way of ethnographic and literary methodology, we provide an in-depth analysis of the dynamic trajectory in and through which the organization gives shape to and takes shape from its key algorithmic tool, mapping the shifting sociotechnical arrangements of the start-up, from its initial search for a viable business model through the development of the algorithm to the public launch of its product. On this basis, we argue that conceptualizing algorithms as organizational figuration enables us to detail not only what algorithms do but also what they are. |
| Related Links | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20539517211026702?download=true |
| ISSN | 20539517 |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Volume Number | 8 |
| Journal | Big Data & Society (BDS) |
| e-ISSN | 20539517 |
| DOI | 10.1177/20539517211026702 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Sage Publications UK |
| Publisher Date | 2021-06-16 |
| Publisher Place | London |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Rights Holder | © The Author(s) 2021 |
| Subject Keyword | living maps ethnography Algorithms fintech figuration sociotechnical arrangements |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Information Systems and Management Library and Information Sciences Information Systems Computer Science Applications Communication |
