This project focuses on digital outsourced labor platforms and the implications for workers in the Global South. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the project, the Departments of Organization Studies, Human Resource Studies and Social Psychology at Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) join forces and invite applications for a PhD position. Starting date preferably per 1 December 2021. 

 

Project description
Firms in developed countries are increasingly outsourcing services (e.g., software development, data verification, data processing, etc.) to the Global South through digital outsourcing labor platforms (OLPs). OLPs act as intermediaries that connect client firms, mostly in the Global North, with independent workers, mostly in the Global South, to perform well-defined, short-term tasks ranging for more complex (e.g. app design) to simpler (e.g. tagging). For independent workers, joining OLPs provides opportunities (e.g., employment), but also risks (e.g., exploitation) that might have important implications for workers’ wellbeing and working conditions. This multidisciplinary project focuses on organizational- (OLP governance models and client firms’ behavior) and individual-level factors (workers’ resources and strategies) and investigates how these interrelate in affecting the working conditions and well-being of workers in the Global South, specifically in Africa. The PhD project will entail both quantitative and qualitative research methods. 

 

Job description
The multidisciplinary PhD project is a collaboration between the Departments of Organization Studies, Human Resource Studies and Social Psychology, funded by The Herbert Simon Research Institute at TSB. It also involves local academic partners in South Africa (North-West University) and Ethiopia (School of Commerce, Addis Ababa University). You will collect secondary data (e.g., from OLPs’ websites), and primary data (via online questionnaires and fieldwork in Africa), and apply qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the following research questions:

What types of governance models do OLPs adopt?
How do OLP governance models affect workers’ working conditions and well-being?
How do OLP governance models affect client firms’ behavior towards workers in terms of opportunistic and unethical practices?
What resources (e.g., job resources, community resources) and strategies (individual or collective) do workers in the Global South deploy to address challenges inherent to OLPs’ governance models and client firms’ behavior hampering their well-being?
 

Qualifications

A (Research) Master’s degree in organization studies, global management of social issues, human resource studies, business administration, international business, social psychology, work & organizational psychology or another related field with direct relevance for the project 
Academic excellence, as demonstrated by grade transcripts and CV
Excellent qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and data analytical abilities
A strong interest in the social implications of digital technologies
Affinity with or strong interest in the Global South and eagerness to conduct fieldwork and dissemination activities in Africa
Interest for interdisciplinary work combining the perspectives of organization studies, human resource studies and social psychology
Enthusiastic, independent, proactive, with a positive learning attitude, strong motivation and ambition for research excellence
Good communication skills and team spirit
Interest in conducting teaching tasks (20% of the total time)
Excellent command of English and academic writing skills (Dutch or French are a plus but not necessary)

Terms of employment and conditions
The PhD candidate will be employed by Tilburg University, which is among the top of the Dutch employers and has an excellent policy concerning terms of employment. The appointments are intended to lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. 

We offer a full-time position. The PhD appointment begins with a period of 12 months. Continuation of the appointment with another 36 months will be based on performance evaluation.
The gross salary for the PhD position amounts to € 2.395 per month in the first year, rising to € 3.061 per month in the fourth year, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week).
A holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually).
Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary (the 30% tax regulation). The University will apply for such an allowance on their behalf.
 

The collective labor agreement of the Dutch Universities applies.

 

Application and information 
Your application should include the following attachments:

A letter of motivation explaining your motivation for doing a PhD, your interest in the position and your competence in the research field.
Your CV including academic qualifications, relevant knowledge, relevant research experience, course grade list, list of publications (if applicable) and two suitable academic references (e.g., from your Master’s thesis supervisor or a professor).
As writing sample, your Master’s thesis or a forthcoming paper, preferably in English.
 

All documents must be sent to Drs. Wietske van Zwol, Managing Director, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University (only by using the link below), by September 5, 2021. Interviews with applicants will take place in September 2021, per video call if needed. The preferred starting date is December 1st, 2021. 
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from Francesca Ciulli, Assistant Professor, Department of Organization Studies (F.Ciulli@tilburguniversity.edu).

 

Tilburg University, the School and the Departments

 

Tilburg University is one of Europe’s leading universities in Social and Behavioral Sciences. According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, Tilburg University is #37 worldwide, #10 in Europe, and #1 in the Netherlands in the subject of Business & Economics. Tilburg is located in the Southern part of the Netherlands, at a 1h to 1.5h traveling distance from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, close to Europe’s foremost high-tech regions (Brabant South-East) and equidistant from Brussels (Belgium) and the Aachen/Cologne area (Germany).

 

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) comprises unique multidisciplinary research areas and research groups which take social issues as a starting point. It excels in multidisciplinary research in the area of Health, Well-Being and Adaptiveness Studies. TSB has an open and diversified culture of excellence which is based on trust, connection, inclusivity, and joint responsibility for the University as a whole. 

 

The Department of Organization Studies focuses on examining the adaptiveness of organizations from a relational perspective. Its research concentrates on the interaction of organizations with their institutional environment and with other organization within networks, and within and between organizations and organizational teams. The department’s research program is part of TSB’s Herbert Simon Research Institute (HSRI) and its cross-cutting and multidisciplinary research theme ‘Adaptive Societies, Organizations, and Workers’. The department has a very strong research orientation with a focus on high-quality publications in leading journals in the fields of organization and management (e.g. Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Research Policy and Journal of Management). Further information about the department and its staff is available at:
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/socialsciences/organization/departments/organization-studies

 

The Department of Human Resource Studies is a well-established department with a strong reputation in academia. The department is well-known for its expertise in taking a balanced approach to strategic HRM (focusing on well-being, development and performance), strengths-based and lifespan approaches to HRM, and inclusive HRM. Further information about the department and its staff is available at: 
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/socialsciences/organization/departments/human-resource-studies

 

The Department of Social Psychology is widely known for high-quality education and research in the domains of social (social cognition, interpersonal relations, interactions between and within groups), economic (economic decision making and psychological processes underlying it) and work and organizational psychology (performance, social relationships and well-being at work). Further information about the department and its staff is available at:  
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/socialsciences/organization/departments/social-psychology

A (Research) Master’s degree in organization studies, global management of social issues, human resource studies, business administration, international business, social psychology, work & organizational psychology or another related field with direct relevance for the project 
Academic excellence, as demonstrated by grade transcripts and CV
Excellent qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and data analytical abilities
A strong interest in the social implications of digital technologies
Affinity with or strong interest in the Global South and eagerness to conduct fieldwork and dissemination activities in Africa
Interest for interdisciplinary work combining the perspectives of organization studies, human resource studies and social psychology
Enthusiastic, independent, proactive, with a positive learning attitude, strong motivation and ambition for research excellence
Good communication skills and team spirit
Interest in conducting teaching tasks (20% of the total time)
Excellent command of English and academic writing skills (Dutch or French are a plus but not necessary)