Abstract

Interactions driven by Information Communications Technologies (ICT) have gained significant acceptance and momentum in contemporary organisational settings, this is illustrated by their massive adoption and varied deployment across the various levels of an organisation’s hierarchy. The study looks into the dynamics of ICT-driven interactions and, distinctively, focuses on the manifestations and implications of mediated control in a collaborative environment. Findings indicate that networks set up through the instrumentality of technology mediated interaction induce unanticipated social and psychological implications in spite of their promise of organisational efficiency. The study draws on the notions of behavior and outcome control to reveal that the nature of mediated control is not static, but evolutionarily dynamic that springs from highly unpredictable contexts of work. The analysis reflects the observation that mediated control is not only about the predetermination of targets that are attained at the subordinate level but the wider implications of ICT-led interactions that have a somewhat direct bearing on subordinates’ psychological make-up.

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MEDIATED CONTROL: ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF INNOVATIVE ICT-DRIVEN INTERACTIONS

Interactions driven by Information Communications Technologies (ICT) have gained significant acceptance and momentum in contemporary organisational settings, this is illustrated by their massive adoption and varied deployment across the various levels of an organisation’s hierarchy. The study looks into the dynamics of ICT-driven interactions and, distinctively, focuses on the manifestations and implications of mediated control in a collaborative environment. Findings indicate that networks set up through the instrumentality of technology mediated interaction induce unanticipated social and psychological implications in spite of their promise of organisational efficiency. The study draws on the notions of behavior and outcome control to reveal that the nature of mediated control is not static, but evolutionarily dynamic that springs from highly unpredictable contexts of work. The analysis reflects the observation that mediated control is not only about the predetermination of targets that are attained at the subordinate level but the wider implications of ICT-led interactions that have a somewhat direct bearing on subordinates’ psychological make-up.