Control

Abstract

Organizational control is broadly understood as the methods and processes used to determine what to do and how to do it in organizations. The entry presents five main types of control. Direct control is based on personal surveillance and thus concerns face‐to‐face orders from one person to another about what to do and how to do it. Technical control is when technology such as the assembly line guides the work. Under bureaucratic control, behavior is guided through rules and regulations. All these forms of control target behavior. Under output control, however, the employees' output is the target. Instead of controlling behavior, output control allows for a variety of behaviors as long as the desired output is produced. Normative control, in turn, targets the norms of the employees, attempting to affect what is considered to be good and bad, valuable and desirable. Communication scholars have theorized control as a communicative act, and in particular have contributed to the understanding of normative forms of control.

Gig Economy Riders on Social Media in Thailand: Contested Identities and Emergent Civil Society Organisations

“…A feature of identity regulation, as a form of normative control, is the provision of a set of vocabulary to workers which supports the propagation of an identity narrative that encapsulates the characteristics and values that align workers with their employers’ objectives (Rennstam, 2017 ). Grab recruits its delivery riders online with slogans such as: “Partner with us to empower your livelihood and more” ; “ Take pride in satisfying millions of our hungry customers every day” ; and “Be your own boss” .…”

“…Previous studies have found evidence of different forms of normative control in the gig economy (Ens, 2019 ; Fleming & Sturdy, 2011 ). In our research, we focus specifically on identity regulation as a form of normative control (Rennstam, 2017 ). According to Rennstam ( 2017 ), identity regulation puts the naturally occurring socialisation process of identity formation under managerial control through measures that construct specific personal characteristics or skills as ideal characteristics of a "good" worker in the given domain.…”

“…In our research, we focus specifically on identity regulation as a form of normative control (Rennstam, 2017 ). According to Rennstam ( 2017 ), identity regulation puts the naturally occurring socialisation process of identity formation under managerial control through measures that construct specific personal characteristics or skills as ideal characteristics of a "good" worker in the given domain. According to Stewart et al ( 2020 ), platform companies project a public narrative of the gig economy as an opportunity for flexible and self-determined work unattainable in traditional employment and gig workers as entrepreneurs that flourish in this working environment.…”

Dynamics of control on digital platforms

“…Common concepts include clan or normative control, where control is executed through a group of like‐minded people who are motivated by commonly held values and norms (Alvesson & Willmott, 2002; Barley & Kunda, 1992; Ouchi, 1980). In informal control, colleagues and teammates are collaborators who discipline themselves and others (Coombs & Willmott, 1992), so appropriate hiring and robust socialisation processes are necessary to ensure group cohesion and discipline (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Rennstam, 2017). While informal controls generally assume a central attempt to cultivate culture, when these processes are executed diffusely, they can also unfold from the bottom up, where norms and values develop through team members (Tompkins & Cheney, 1985).…”