Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, Not a Bug | Eric Anicich

Eric Anicich was a USC professor with 18 consecutive journal article rejections on his desk. Not knowing where to turn to professionally, he decided to do something completely different. He signed up as a Postmates driver in the gig economy. As he completed hundreds of rides, Eric went from rejection to research, crafting an investigative project on work, identity, and the highs and lows of the gig economy.

Dr. Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups and work has been published in several prestigious outlets, such as the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, and leading academic journals like the Academy of Management Review and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this episode, Dart and Eric discuss:
- Eric’s research on the gig economy
- The negative effects of the gig economy on employees and their life narratives
- What a holding environment is and why every job needs one
- Shaping personal identity through work
- Algorithmic management vs. human management
- When a hierarchy helps at work and when it hurts
- Exploring the possibility of multiple company cultures within one organization
- The challenges, opportunities, and hidden power of middle management
- And other topics…

Dr. Eric Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups has appeared in Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and others. He has also been published in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Psychological Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Eric received his Ph.D. from Columbia Business School, MSc from the University of Oxford, and BA from Northwestern University. He was recognized as Poets & Quant’s “Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors” in 2021.

Resources Mentioned:
“Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, not a Bug,” by Eric Anicich: https://hbr.org/2022/06/dehumanization-is-a-feature-of-gig-work-not-a-bug
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
Working, by Studs Terkel: https://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428
“The myth of the flat start-up,” by Saerom (Ronnie) Lee: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smj.3333

Connect with Eric:
USC Marshall School of Business: https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/eric-anicich
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-anicich-4340a918/
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/search?term=eric%20m.%20anicich 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.