The increasing diffusion of remote work arrangements (RWAs), such as telework, mobile work and virtual teams, has raised new questions of organizational control. The altered physical proximity of remote employees from their organization raise new challenges for managers, called to orient these work transformations to maintain the alignment of individual and organizational objectives. In this dynamics, remote and office-based employees also exert their agency, influencing the direction of change. Nevertheless, a comprehensive analysis of the influence of RWAs on control structures (rules, procedures and tools) and practices (actions, activities and processes) is still lacking in organizational and management studies. Through a systematic synthesis of empirical research (Tranfield et al., 2003) the paper aims at providing an in-depth understanding of how the introduction of physical distance implied in working remotely affect existing organizational control structures and practices along with outcomes produced at individual, group and organizational level. In conducting the literature review, since we assumed a broad perspective on organizational control we did not limit our investigation to traditional control mechanisms (e.g. behavior) but also consider other issues, such as identity regulation and trust, widely viewed as levers of organizational control. Moreover, qualitative, quantitative or mixed were all included in the review process. By combining a deductive and an inductive approach, we identified and discuss the results with regard to five key control-related issues, and specifically control systems; managers' supervision and leadership styles; organizational identification; identity management; trust. The review also enabled to identify relevant research gaps and future research opportunities.
Organizational control in the context of remote working: a synthesis of empirical research
Luisa Errichiello;Tommasina Pianese
2018
Abstract
The increasing diffusion of remote work arrangements (RWAs), such as telework, mobile work and virtual teams, has raised new questions of organizational control. The altered physical proximity of remote employees from their organization raise new challenges for managers, called to orient these work transformations to maintain the alignment of individual and organizational objectives. In this dynamics, remote and office-based employees also exert their agency, influencing the direction of change. Nevertheless, a comprehensive analysis of the influence of RWAs on control structures (rules, procedures and tools) and practices (actions, activities and processes) is still lacking in organizational and management studies. Through a systematic synthesis of empirical research (Tranfield et al., 2003) the paper aims at providing an in-depth understanding of how the introduction of physical distance implied in working remotely affect existing organizational control structures and practices along with outcomes produced at individual, group and organizational level. In conducting the literature review, since we assumed a broad perspective on organizational control we did not limit our investigation to traditional control mechanisms (e.g. behavior) but also consider other issues, such as identity regulation and trust, widely viewed as levers of organizational control. Moreover, qualitative, quantitative or mixed were all included in the review process. By combining a deductive and an inductive approach, we identified and discuss the results with regard to five key control-related issues, and specifically control systems; managers' supervision and leadership styles; organizational identification; identity management; trust. The review also enabled to identify relevant research gaps and future research opportunities.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
