Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Management Communication Quarterly |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 385-410 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| ISSN | 0893-3189 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- Observational control
- Power
- Regularizing control
- Strategic ambiguity
- Transparency
Cite this
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The Transparency–Power Nexus : Observational and Regularizing Control. / Flyverbom, Mikkel; Christensen, Lars Thøger; Krause Hansen, Hans.
In: Management Communication Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2015, p. 385-410.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Transparency–Power Nexus
T2 - Observational and Regularizing Control
AU - Flyverbom, Mikkel
AU - Christensen, Lars Thøger
AU - Krause Hansen, Hans
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Although transparency is often believed to mitigate the negative effects of power by providing access to the hidden sides of organizational and political life, extant research fails to specify how transparency more fundamentally relates to power. To make sense of this relationship, this article develops an analytical language along two dimensions: “observational control” and “regularizing control.” Within this framework, we look at (a) attempts to carry out control through observation, (b) identity-oriented forms of normative control, (c) strategically ambiguous articulations of transparency, and (d) attempts to normalize and institutionalize behavior across organizational settings through the use of reporting and ranking systems. In the concluding section, we discuss how our conceptualization might nuance and enrich future studies of the transparency–power nexus and we point to some important implications for management practitioners.
AB - Although transparency is often believed to mitigate the negative effects of power by providing access to the hidden sides of organizational and political life, extant research fails to specify how transparency more fundamentally relates to power. To make sense of this relationship, this article develops an analytical language along two dimensions: “observational control” and “regularizing control.” Within this framework, we look at (a) attempts to carry out control through observation, (b) identity-oriented forms of normative control, (c) strategically ambiguous articulations of transparency, and (d) attempts to normalize and institutionalize behavior across organizational settings through the use of reporting and ranking systems. In the concluding section, we discuss how our conceptualization might nuance and enrich future studies of the transparency–power nexus and we point to some important implications for management practitioners.
KW - Observational control
KW - Power
KW - Regularizing control
KW - Strategic ambiguity
KW - Transparency
UR - http://sfx-45cbs.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/45cbs?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/sfxit.com:azlist&sfx.ignore_date_threshold=1&rft.object_id=960238898529
U2 - 10.1177/0893318915593116
DO - 10.1177/0893318915593116
M3 - Journal article
VL - 29
SP - 385
EP - 410
JO - Management Communication Quarterly
JF - Management Communication Quarterly
SN - 0893-3189
IS - 3
ER -