Open AccessComputer Monitoring: The Hidden War Of Control
Author(s) -
Kevin P. Pauli,
Tammy Y. Arthur
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of management and information systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1546-5748
pISSN - 2157-9628
DOI - 10.19030/ijmis.v15i1.1595
Subject(s) - computer monitoring , automation , control (management) , function (biology) , monitoring and control , computer science , control function , operations research , operations management , computer security , engineering , real time computing , artificial intelligence , control engineering , mechanical engineering , evolutionary biology , biology
Monitoring has become the battleground for control between labor and management. A model is proposed which examines the dynamics of monitoring on labor through three functions. The first is the use of computer monitoring to reduce the worker to simply another part of the whole machine. The second function is to reduce workers to numbers arranged by their ability to meet mechanistic goals and objectives. The third looks at the ability of monitoring to reduce costs beyond automation through its elimination of supervision and middle-management. Implications are discussed.