Chapter 5 - New information technologies and the organization of managerial and professional work

Question 1

What are the key issues on this chapter?

Answer 1

Organizations / Professionals and ICT

Question 2

How do rationalist and realist accounts of managerial work differ?

Answer 2

Rational is rational.

Realism is diverse and many uncertainties.

Question 3

What is the significance of distinguishing strategic planning and firefighting?

Answer 3

corporate and middle management.

Question 4

Why does many studies that examine managerial response to labour resistance could be considered rationalist?

Answer 4

Post-Braverman LPT - rational control is direct, technical and bureaucratic.

Question 5

How do rationalist and realist views of technology and management differ?

Answer 5

Rationalist - Info and strategic planning

Realist - Info handling.

Question 6

What is the central contradiction of the managerial labour process with regard to information?

Answer 6

info used to control others and self.

Question 7

What are the optimistic and pessimistic views of technological determinism and management?

Answer 7

Optimistic - flexibility, coordination

Pessimistic - surveillance, inspection

Question 8

What are the characteristics claimed for a post-bureaucratic form of work?

Answer 8

networked organization.

ICT and coordination.

Question 9

What factors challenge claims of post-bureaucratic work forms?

Answer 9

the capital extensive firm (CEF)

decentralization of production and concentration of control.

Question 10

What is “bureaucracy-lite” ?

Answer 10

intra/inter-organizational networks

Question 11

What are the non-technological forces maintaining hierarchy?

Answer 11

downsizing and control, need for problem solving

Question 12

How can monitoring CSRs in call centres be used to manage managers?

Answer 12

Results as performance indicators

Question 13

How can mobile technology manage managers?

Answer 13

Time surveillance - work 24/7 and gender issues

Question 14

What is “crackberry” ?

Answer 14

work as home

Question 15

How can managers’ performance be managed?

Answer 15

ICT and Performance Management Systems, and non-technological performance management

Question 16

What are the techniques of New Public Management?

Answer 16

surveillance, inspection, general management

Question 17

What is the major tension between expert labour and bureaucracy?

Answer 17

Bureaucratic control and knowledge management

Question 18

What are the communities of practice?

Answer 18

Using awareness to learn from mistakes

Question 19

Why has the issue of Knowledge Management become significant?

Answer 19

knowledge workers & economy.

Question 20

What is driving the need for control of expert labour?

Answer 20

knowledge of intensive work and global competition of product life-cycle & continual innovation.

Question 21

What does the language of KM reveal?

Answer 21

Managerialist goals

Question 22

What is the role of technology in KM?

Answer 22

IT specialists - need for info and knowledge

Question 23

What are the tensions involved in managing experts?

Answer 23

control and creativity.

technology as facilitator

Question 24

What is the “no-collar” workplace?

Answer 24

creative industries

Question 25

What are the problems with the concept of creative class?

Answer 25

Speculation and Conflation of job categories

Question 26

Is the term “creative industry” an oxymoron?

Answer 26

It brings up the question of how much creativity or industry is involved.

Question 27

What are the characteristics of ICT-based workplaces?

Answer 27

early entrepreneurialism, late formalization and centralization.

Question 28

What is missing from mainstream consideration of management and ICT?

Answer 28

macro-perspective and power.

Question 29

Why has the tension between creatives and suits intensified?

Answer 29

Need to harness tacit knowledge.