Perceived autonomy and discretion of mobile workers

Albano, Roberto; Curzi, Ylenia; Parisi, Tania; Tirabeni, Lia

doi:10.3280/so2018-002002

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…While autonomy refers to the capability of an individual or collective subject to produce his own rules and manage his own processes of action and decision, discretion indicates room for maneuver in a pre-regulated process, where the subject is required to make decisions choosing from pre-determined alternative actions and decisions (Maggi, 2016). Albano et al (2018) demonstrate the importance of the above distinction to provide a more nuanced picture of the implications of remote e-work on the regulation of work at the micro-level of analysis, suggesting that that distinction may also help to unpack the consequences of remote e-work on individual wellbeing. Consistent with prior research, this study finds that remote e-workers have greater discretion over their work schedule, work pace, and work methods compared to traditional ones.…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Based on a robust analytical distinction between autonomy and discretion (cf. Maggi, 2016), Albano et al (2018) show that "the possibilities for the individual to choose where, when and how to perform his/her work" should be more appropriately defined in terms of discretion rather than of autonomy. While autonomy refers to the capability of an individual or collective subject to produce his own rules and manage his own processes of action and decision, discretion indicates room for maneuver in a pre-regulated process, where the subject is required to make decisions choosing from pre-determined alternative actions and decisions (Maggi, 2016).…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Remote e-workers are also more likely to experience autonomy (specifically over the choices regarding work goals, colleagues, and the organization of one's department or company) (Albano et al, 2018). However, due to the overemphasis of extant research on work discretion, so far the role of autonomy for remote e-workers' occupational stress has been largely unexplored.…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accordingly, unlike the mainstream approach and in accordance with Albano et al (2018), we refer to "the possibilities for remote e-workers to choose where, when and how to work" as discretion. In addition, in contrast to the JD-C and JD-R models and in line with Thompson (1967), we assume that discretion is primarily an organizational requirement: the greater the uncertainty the organization has to cope with, the greater the organization's need that organizational members exercise discretion.…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Stressful Implications of Remote E-Working: Evidence from Europe

Curzi¹,

Fabbri²,

Pistoresi³

2020

IJBM

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This paper investigates the importance of different modes of spatial flexibility as well as of the distinction between autonomy and discretion to find plausible explanations of the so-called autonomy paradox, which maintains that the more the job autonomy that remote e-workers have the greater the effort they put into their work with adverse effects on work-related stress. Using multiple regressions, we test the hypotheses regarding the direct influence of autonomy, discretion and work intensification as well as their interaction effects on occupational stress in two subsamples of 1.380 home-based e-workers and 2.574 mobile ones drawn from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey. The main findings are as follows. Home-based e-workers perceive that autonomy (namely over work goals) directly decreases occupational stress and buffers work intensification (i.e. autonomy over work goals and in the organizational choices of their department/company). In the context of remote e-work, discretion is more likely to boost the stressful impact of work intensification when work is mobile. At the same time, we do not find that autonomy increases work intensification, neither among mobile e-workers, nor among home-based e-workers (for whom it buffers the adverse impact of work intensification). In summary, this study does not confirm the existence of an autonomy paradox associated with remote e-work. Contrarily, it suggests that such a paradox is more likely to surface when research relies on conceptual frameworks that ambiguously define autonomy in terms of what should be more properly conceptualized as discretion.

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Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Stressful Implications of Remote E-Working: Evidence from Europe

Curzi¹,

Fabbri²,

Pistoresi³

2020

IJBM

Self Cite

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“…Thus, remote working and wearables at work are similar insofar as they are both enabled by digital technology. Both practices are often proposed in a rhetorical fashion by top management within workplaces in order to improve wellness at work (Albano, Curzi, Parisi, & Tirabeni, 2018; Giddens, Gonzalez, & Leidner, 2016; Mettler & Wulf, 2019). However, working remotely implies the separation of working activities from the physical constraints imposed by offices and factories, while in the case of wearables, employees still work in traditional workplaces.…”

Section: Comparing Remote Work and The Use Of Wearables At Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital technologies and power dynamics in the organization: A conceptual review of remote working and wearable technologies at work

Miele

Tirabeni

2020

Sociology Compass

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In this article, we examine the kinds of control practices that emerge with the introduction of digital technologies, and how these technologies are employed to shape power within workplaces. We present a comparative conceptual review of work practices by contrasting remote work and the use of workplace wearables. We trace forms of power and control that have been enacted with the adoption of these work‐related technologies and associated practices. We find that the prevailing literature focuses on the practices enacted by management in order to control workers and exert power over them, and we propose that a more comprehensive approach be taken. In support of this view, we show how the concept of appropriation emerges from science and technology studies, and we argue that such a concept would be useful for exploring how workers use and incorporate digital technologies into their daily lives, thus reshaping power in organizations.

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Mobile work, individual aspirations and job satisfaction in Europe

Curzi,

Pistoresi,

Coppeta

2023

IJM

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PurposeThis article responds to the call for more research on mobile work by exploring how the aspirations of these workers relate to job satisfaction through adaptation to the job characteristics they experience.Design/methodology/approachBased on aspiration theory and the literature on mobile work, the paper examines how mobile workers form aspirations and how this is related to their perception of job satisfaction. The empirical analysis uses a two-tier stochastic frontier analysis and the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey dataset.FindingsMobile workers formulate higher aspirations than the working conditions they experience and report lower levels of job satisfaction than other types of workers. They revise their aspirations downwards when they experience autonomy, discretion, performance-related pay schemes, relation-oriented leadership while they increase their aspirations when they experience work intensification and discrimination.Originality/valueThis paper provides new insights into the work perceptions of mobile workers and enriches existing research by highlighting the importance of the study of individual aspirations to advance understanding of the complex dynamics of mobile work.

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Perceived autonomy and discretion of mobile workers

Cited by 15 publications

References 62 publications

The Stressful Implications of Remote E-Working: Evidence from Europe

The Stressful Implications of Remote E-Working: Evidence from Europe

Digital technologies and power dynamics in the organization: A conceptual review of remote working and wearable technologies at work

Mobile work, individual aspirations and job satisfaction in Europe

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