Algorithmically Managing Risk and the Risk of Managing Algorithms in Australian Homecare: A Managerial Perspective

Abstract

This article examines how algorithmic management (re)shapes managerial understandings of risk within homecare. Engaging with the sociology of risk and care theory, we extend algorithmic management debates by examining its application in homebased disability and aged care. Drawing upon interviews with senior managers ( n = 15) from Australian homecare organisations, we explore how algorithmic management influences how risk is recognised and responsibilised. A notable difference of algorithmic management in homecare compared with other sectors is that a primary use for these systems is to support compliance and reduce harm, with the management of risks framed as a key care practice for managers. Our findings reveal that in homecare these systems, from a care perspective, enable organisations to operationalise risk, yet at the same time, institutionalise new managerial rationalities that both recalibrate and complicate care oversight. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of regulatory pressures in shaping how algorithmic management is used.

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