The Drive to Drive: Understanding Gig Work by Understanding the Gig Worker

The gig economy is changing how workers engage in work; specifically, why individuals engage in different forms of gig work and how individuals relate to gig organizations. Despite this prevalence, we lack an understanding of the phenomenon of engagement in gig work from the worker perspective. Our focus, in seeking to understand the worker / organization dynamic more fully, is on individual motivation and control. We offer an understanding of the gig worker based on the level of the individuals intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to engage in the work, and the individuals perceived level of control over the employing organization. We use this approach to suggest different pathways to organizational identification and other relevant individual and organizational outcomes.