Nice work? Rethinking managerial control in an era of knowledge work

Abstract

This article assesses the ability of labour process theory (LPT) to account for the persistence of managerial control under the apparent conditions of greater autonomy and discretion we have come to associate with 'knowledge Work'. LPT has traditionally problematized control around the need to resolve 'the indeterminacy of labour' - that is, how do managers ensure that workers' actual labouring efforts approach their potential labour power? In contrast, I propose that it is more useful to problematize control around the 'indeterminacy of knowledge' - that is, how do managers ensure that workers' cognitive efforts approach their full cognitive potential? A common response to the problem of th..