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Independent work, modern organizations and entrepreneurial labor: Diversity and hybridity of freelancers and self-employment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2016

Dieter Bögenhold  and
Andrea Klinglmair
Dieter Bögenhold*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
Andrea Klinglmair
Affiliation:
Diakonie de la Tour, Klagenfurt, Austria
*
Corresponding author: dieter.boegenhold@aau.at
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Abstract

The paper deals with self-employment of one-(wo)man-firms as the smallest units of entrepreneurial companies and focuses at the blurred boundaries between dependent work and self-employment. We call the overlapping identities hybrid entrepreneurs. Based on the collected data it can be shown that the hybrid self-employed differ significantly from non-hybrid ‘regular’ entrepreneurs with respect to selected socio-demographic characteristics, professional, as well as company-specific factors. The paper takes up several of the findings and tries to discuss them in a framework of (micro) organizations, institutions and self-employment. Taking the case of hybrid employment fosters crucial and provoking questions for an appropriate understanding of the division of enterprises and occupations.

Keywords

self-employmentfreelancerentrepreneurshiphybriditylabor market

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 22 , Special Issue 6: Self-employed professionals, freelancers and contractors , November 2016 , pp. 843 - 858
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2016 

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