Mechanisms of Power Shift in Platform Partnership: An Activity Theory Perspective

The rise of digital platforms has reshaped organisational dynamics, especially power relations. This paper explores the generative mechanisms behind these power shifts in platform partnerships, an area still underexplored. Focusing on telehealth and ridesharing, we have conducted seven interviews with doctors using a telehealth platform in Iran. Using activity theory and critical realism, we identified three mechanisms affecting doctors: dispute management, feedback, and covert manipulation. To enhance our findings, we plan 20 more interviews with doctors and 30 with ridesharing drivers. This will help uncover both context-specific and general mechanisms of power shifts, offering insights into platform partnerships and contributing to broader discussions on power dynamics in digital platforms.