Digital Taylorism in China’s e-commerce industry: A case study of internet professionals

Abstract

This article documents the working conditions and experiences of tech professionals at a leading Chinese e-commerce firm. Using intensive qualitative research methods, the author finds that digital management of tech professionals has accompanied and perhaps explains some of the Chinese tech industry’s much-heralded increases in efficiency and productivity. This management form can be understood as digital Taylorism, which has similar pathologies to the original Taylorism: a dehumanising effect on the workplace, increased work intensity, a higher income but proportionately lower share of the gains from increased productivity, and intensified competition among workers. It is hoped that this study will open up new avenues for evidence-based discussion about the future of work and the ethics of algorithm use in the workplace.