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Financialization as a strategy of workplace control in professional service firms

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  • Alvehus, Johan
  • Spicer, André

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increased focus on finance as a form of control in corporations. In this paper, we explore financialization as an employee control strategy in a Big Four accountancy firm, and more specifically how it affects the everyday lives of the professionals within the firm. We found financialization involved attempts to transform employees working lives into an investment activity where work was experienced as ‘billable hours’ that are ‘invested’ in the hope of a high future pay-off. Employees sought to increase the value of their investment by skilful manipulation. If wisely managed, this investment could yield significant benefits in the future. We argue that financialization involves active employee participation and is a way of binding other forms of control together.

Suggested Citation

  • Alvehus, Johan & Spicer, André, 2012. "Financialization as a strategy of workplace control in professional service firms," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 497-510.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:23:y:2012:i:7:p:497-510
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2012.02.001
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    2. Graaf, Johan & Kraus, Kalle & Strömsten, Torkel, 2022. "The problematics of financialization – On the important (but neglected) horizontal axis of organizational action," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    3. Modell, Sven & Yang, ChunLei, 2018. "Financialisation as a strategic action field: An historically informed field study of governance reforms in Chinese state-owned enterprises," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 41-59.
    4. Scott M Allan & James R Faulconbridge & Pete Thomas, 2019. "The Fearful and Anxious Professional: Partner Experiences of Working in the Financialized Professional Services Firm," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 33(1), pages 112-130, February.
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    9. Nappert, Pier-Luc & Plante, Maude, 2023. "The assetization of baseball players: Instrumentalizing promise with signing bonuses and human capital contracts," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    10. Ashley, Louise & Empson, Laura, 2016. "Convenient fictions and inconvenient truths: Dilemmas of diversity at three leading accountancy firms," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 76-87.
    11. Narayanan, Venkateshwaran & Baird, Kevin & Tay, Richard, 2021. "Investment decisions: The trade-off between economic and environmental objectives," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(3).
    12. Syrus M. Islam & Chris Akroyd, 2024. "Control strategies for impactful exits in impact private equity firms," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(4), pages 3419-3442, December.
    13. Morales, Jérémy & Sponem, Samuel, 2017. "You too can have a critical perspective! 25 years of Critical Perspectives on Accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 149-166.
    14. Siepel, Josh & Nightingale, Paul, 2014. "Anglo-Saxon governance: Similarities, difference and outcomes in a financialised world," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 27-35.
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