Collaborative Participation– The New Business Module.
UBER, AIRBNB, AMAZON, ALIBABA…
It is the age of disruptive innovation and the world belongs to the backpackers and the minimalist. But tread with caution if you have penchant for the old world order of security, loyalty and ownership; for, these are ‘Friends with benefits without liability’.
Riding the wave of technological innovation, the world - a global village, has adapted to the new business module, learnt from Facebook and Youtube – the art of collaboration and expression, to provide a platform for consumers and service providers to interact and seek each other’s assistance; making, in the bargain, a hefty sum for themselves.
Uber’s marketing strategy, which also touches a chord with the social responsibility – of providing services to those in need anytime…anywhere, has worked wonders for not just the company itself, but has also broken the age old class division of haves and the have not’s – thus disrupting the psyche of the consumer who might have otherwise, felt handicapped without a car. More importantly, this is the only industry that empowers the consumers by giving them the voting rights, by rating the services – good experiences not only win referral recommendations, but also good ratings.
Thus, the new business module for the new age is not so much in ownership than in the collaborative participation. In my conversation with some of the active participants, the voice of enthusiasm was strongly supportive of this module. “Where renting, hiring or leasing was cumbersome, fraught with anxiety as one had to go through legal paperwork to ensure safety of one’s property, Airbnb has made it easier for us to lease the accommodation. We need not go through the hassle of checking the background and what is better is that the house does not remain empty for long because there is always someone seeking accommodation.” Besides providing a steady income to many, these portal have also brought in the dignity and security that this industry lacked in the past.
One of the arguments against this gig economy is that these are friend with benefits without liabilities. Besides, thrusting more and more people into the informal contract, it robs them of the status and the benefits of ‘employee’ – thus depriving them of the ‘employee benefits’ of provident funds, gratuity, medical insurance etc. given to the employees in formal sector.
With the recent verdict by the employment tribunal in London, which had rejected Uber’s claims that its participants (drivers) were self-employed, the whole idea of collaborative partnership is refuted and lost. It is almost saying that content writers on Youtube or even Facebook participants are their employees. It is the age of disruptive business module, with no place for the age old hire and fire mindset.
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