Social Relations: Last Frontier in Terms of Control within New Forms of Organization

• In Event: 161 - Section on Organizations, Occupation and Work Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Organization Learning and Change

Abstract

Capitalists companies have tried during the past decades to maintain their position in the market and if possible increase their profit. In this context new forms of organization emerged and with them new strategies of control were enabled. An example are the Outsourcing companies, companies that choose to have certain activities performed outside its boundaries, by a different producer or service provider, when the same goods or services could be produced internally. This paper presents how companies take control, over the ultimate frontier of freedom within organizations that is: the social relations between employees or between employees and their customer. The focus is set on the description and analysis of how this strategy is implemented and function within the Human Resources Department. Data are based on a case study built on participative observation and interviews. Indicators of unpredicted consequences over employees draw an alarm signal and their implications are debated in the discussion section.

Authors

• Daniela Veronica Negraia, University of South Carolina

• Rafael P.M. Wittek, University of Groningen