Organizational control in the context of remote working: A synthesis of empirical findings and a research agenda

Abstract

The increasing diffusion of remote working puts organizational control in the foreground. As employees work at a distance from traditional offices and/or are geographically dispersed, companies are called upon to influence their willingness to act in accordance with a company's vision, values, and objectives. To date, a comprehensive understanding of how organizational control is implied in remote work arrangements (RWAs) is still lacking. To fill this gap, a research synthesis—that is, a systematic review of 131 studies that empirically investigated this issue—is carried on. The analysis is not limited to direct forms of control (e.g., output control) but also includes managerial practices as well as actions enacted by employees that influence the dynamics of control, acting as indirect levers of control. Findings were presented and discussed in relation to five “control domains”: control systems, supervisory management styles, trusting relationships, organizational identification, and work identity in RWAs.

Antecedents and job outcomes from a self-efficacy perspective while working from home among professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The study found that manager and peer support enhance the self-efficacy of employees while WFH (and therefore H3 and H4 were supported). This concurs with the findings of earlier studies in this area, which suggested that organizational support can enhance both individual and organizational outcomes when WFH (Pianese et al, 2022). In WFH contexts, support from managers and peers has been found to generate self-efficacy among employees due to knowledge sharing and the possibility of clarifications (Kashive et al, 2021).…”

Psychological contract breach during the pandemic: How an abrupt transition to a work from home schedule impacted the employment relationship

“…For example, with a sudden change in work arrangements, managers should pay attention to the vulnerability of trust in the relationship with employees and find ways to reconfirm the established trust. The work from home schedule changes the methods a manager might use to manage employee performance, which may necessitate additional management training ( Pianese, Errichiello, & da Cunha, 2022 ). Employee feelings of felt mistrust may increase if managers change from quiet observation and casual face-to-face conversations to blunt explicit inquiries about performance or fail to provide support to accommodate disruptions of job duties, work conditions, and working schedules.…”

Alienation in Pandemic-Induced Telework in the Public Sector

“…Our most important results are that adjustment to forced telework has been harder for some based on personality types. Presenting themselves as “reputable employees,” who do not need strict monitoring (Pianese et al, 2022, p. 10), is taxing for some types of employees. That is one possible mechanism identified in a recent research synthesis of telework before and during the pandemic, which might link personality types to work alienation (Pianese et al, 2022).…”

“…Presenting themselves as “reputable employees,” who do not need strict monitoring (Pianese et al, 2022, p. 10), is taxing for some types of employees. That is one possible mechanism identified in a recent research synthesis of telework before and during the pandemic, which might link personality types to work alienation (Pianese et al, 2022). Furthermore, through analyses of prepandemic and pandemic work alienation and work conditions among our sample, we have been able to identify the organizational management best practices that are most promising to reduce alienation in this context.…”