Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and function of visuals, visual communication and information design as they relate to management control systems and visual management (VM) in lean-inspired organisations. This paper helps expand knowledge on how visual and design studies can contribute to research on VM as part of a management control system. Design/methodology/approach A study is outlined, which was conducted at a multinational manufacturing company to investigate employees’ perceptions and use of visual devices on the shop floor, including their related reactions and behaviour. The study is delimited to operation management, lean manufacturing and lean boards (i.e. daily management boards and performance measurement boards). Findings The findings point out the persuasive purpose of lean boards, as well as the metaphoric and persuasive functions of the visuals and information design in management control systems. Originality/value Visual research and design research are rare within studies of management control systems. There is a need to perform research that takes into account the role and function of visual communication and information design in VM. The proposed areas for future research can provide design principles, as well as insights into the complexity of visual communication and information design in VM and management control studies.

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This paper deals with the development of participatory methods in visual management (VM) when investigating parts and system/s related to VM devices in organisational contexts. Four theoretical perspectives – sociocultural theory, boundary objects, diagrams, maps and models, and visual rhetoric – have been applied to gain an overall understanding of the participants’ collective investigation of the system/s. Managers and co-workers in five Lean-inspired organisations have used the method Multimodal Origami (MO) to design their VM devices, in this case the VM boards and associated meetings.

This article examines information source selection behavior among maintenance technicians and how this behavior might influence the design of technical information. For this entry, "maintenance technicians" are individuals who maintain machine equipment (e.g., generators or bearings) in industrial enterprises, and this process includes the troubleshooting of problems and the repairing of machine equipment. In this entry, the authors use a review of the literature on information source selection behavior to discuss core concepts within the field of source selection behavior. Three of the main concepts examined are "information," "information source," and "source preference criteria." These core concepts function as a frame of reference for discussing how maintenance technicians might select information sources to perform maintenance activities. The authors also use these concepts to review why certain sources are selected for use over others. The results tentatively suggest maintenance technicians prefer information sources that can be adapted to specific workplace contexts.