The rise of short-term contract work and freelance jobs has created a large percentage of workers who work on their own terms, outside of organizations. These freelancers find new ways to deal with autonomy in their work, walking a precarious tightrope between instability and independence. 

On this episode of Business and Society, Ross Professor Sue Ashford discusses her award-winning research on the gig economy. Topics covered include the connection between productivity and identity for freelancers, how they gauge their own success, and the four main factors for thriving as an independent worker: connection to people, place, purpose, and routine.

The conversation ends with a discussion of how the gig economy has transformed in the five years since Ashford’s paper was published. She discusses algorithmic management, how a global pandemic brought society closer to independent work, and the future of her research.

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