IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/tjisxx/v23y2014i5p543-557.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mobile information systems and organisational control: beyond the panopticon metaphor?

Author

Listed:
  • Aurélie Leclercq-Vandelannoitte
  • Henri Isaac
  • Michel Kalika

Abstract

With their ubiquity, mobile information systems (IS) may be used in ways that challenge the dynamics of organisational control, forcing IS scholars to revisit the panopticon metaphor and possibly offer new conceptual tools for theorising about information technology (IT)-based organisational control. Yet little IS research has offered critical reflections on the use of the panopticon to represent the control potential of mobile IS. This study investigates whether the way mobile IS are engaged in the workplace reinforce panoptic control systems or generate other types of control logics, requiring another conceptual lens. A qualitative exploratory case study investigated a consulting company whose professionals equipped themselves with mobile IS. The study reveals the emergence of a subtle, invisible form of ‘free control’ through mobile IS. Although consultants are mobile, flexible, and autonomous, a powerful communication and information network keeps them in a position of ‘allowed subjection’. Free control is characterised by a shift in the location of authority, a time-related discipline, a deep sense of trust, and adherence to organisational norms that the professionals themselves co-construct. These characteristics, which render such control even more pernicious than panoptic arrangements, deserve more attention in further IS research.

Suggested Citation

  • Aurélie Leclercq-Vandelannoitte & Henri Isaac & Michel Kalika, 2014. "Mobile information systems and organisational control: beyond the panopticon metaphor?," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 543-557, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tjisxx:v:23:y:2014:i:5:p:543-557
    DOI: 10.1057/ejis.2014.11
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1057/ejis.2014.11
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/ejis.2014.11?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Christian Bartelheimer & Philipp Heiden & Hedda Lüttenberg & Daniel Beverungen, 2022. "Systematizing the lexicon of platforms in information systems: a data-driven study," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(1), pages 375-396, March.
    2. Valentin Zieglmeier & Maren Gierlich-Joas & Alexander Pretschner, 2022. "Increasing Employees' Willingness to Share: Introducing Appeal Strategies for People Analytics," Papers 2209.05387, arXiv.org.
    3. Clive Trusson & Gwen K-W Chen & John Bridger, 2024. "‘When the Daily Commute Stops’: A Long-Distance Commuter’s Reflections on Commuting and Telecommuting across the COVID-19 Pandemic," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(1), pages 279-290, February.
    4. François-Xavier de Vaujany & Aurélie Leclercq Vandelannoitte & Iain Munro & Yesh Nama & Robin Holt, 2021. "Control and Surveillance in Work Practice: Cultivating Paradox in ‘New’ Modes of Organizing," Post-Print hal-03268925, HAL.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:tjisxx:v:23:y:2014:i:5:p:543-557. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/tjis .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.