The Pandemic Work: Developing a Computational Grounded Theory of Exogenous Category Shocks

Abstract

The exogenous shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed familiar work-related categories organizing work and life in ways current theories of categories cannot fully explain. To understand these changes, we analyzed online conversations about COVID and work using a computational grounded theory approach to develop a theory of worker response to exogenous category shock. We explain the process through which workers perceive, evaluate, and respond to work-related category changes due to exogenous category shocks. Our research contributes to the category dynamics literature by going beyond gradual, planned, or intentional changes in categories to examine the effects of abrupt exogenous shocks that suddenly change categories. We theorize how the exceptionality, temporality, and contested nature of these changes in work-related categories influence workers’ evaluations and responses. Methodologically, we contribute to the growing field of interpretive data science in management research by using machine learning techniques to understand a complex and multi-dimensional textual corpus. Practically, our findings offer important insights for policy makers and organizations on consequences of a wide range of societal exogenous shocks such as pandemics, disasters, political upheaval, and war that disturb established categories.