Exploring algorithmic assemblages through multimodal inquiry

First published in
Algorithmic organizing  
Number in series
95
Start Page
181
End Page
208
Citation
Algorithmic Organizing 95: 181-208 (2025)
Publisher DOI
10.1108/S0733-558X20250000095009
Publisher
Emerald Publishing Limited
ISBN of container
978-1-83708-928-4
We explore the increasing role of algorithms in organizational processes, conceptualized as “algorithmic organizing.” As algorithms move from being mere tools to embedded drivers of organizational processes, they redefine traditional boundaries in work practices. Drawing on the assemblage perspective, which treats algorithms as dynamic networks of human and non‐human actors, we emphasize the sociomaterial interactions that shape algorithmic organizing. While traditional approaches to studying algorithmic organizing focus on verbal communication, we advocate for a multimodal research design that incorporates multiple modes, including but not limited to verbal/textual, visual, material, emotional, embodied, and spatial. Such an approach uncovers how meaning is constructed through layered interactions within algorithmic assemblages where agency is distributed among technical and human elements. We provide a methodological framework for multimodal research and illustrate its utility for investigating evolving sociomaterial processes in organizational contexts using empirical examples from our ongoing research within an IT consultancy. Our findings contribute to management scholarship by offering insights into how algorithmic organizing can be studied as a continuous, multimodal process, enhancing the transparency and accountability of algorithmic systems in organizations.
Subjects
Algorithms
assemblage
algorithmic folding
multimodal research design
methodology
ethnography
DDC Class
600: Technology