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‘This Is the End’?: An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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‘This Is the End’? An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative. / McCabe, D.; Ciuk, S.; Gilbert, M.
In: Work, Employment and Society, Vol. 36, No. 3, 01.06.2022, p. 503-521.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

McCabe, D, Ciuk, S & Gilbert, M 2022, '‘This Is the End’? An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative', Work, Employment and Society, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 503-521. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211022272

APA

McCabe, D., Ciuk, S., & Gilbert, M. (2022). ‘This Is the End’? An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative. Work, Employment and Society, 36(3), 503-521. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211022272

Vancouver

McCabe D, Ciuk S, Gilbert M. ‘This Is the End’? An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative. Work, Employment and Society. 2022 Jun 1;36(3):503-521. Epub 2021 Jul 8. doi: 10.1177/09500170211022272

Author

McCabe, D. ; Ciuk, S. ; Gilbert, M. / ‘This Is the End’? An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative. In: Work, Employment and Society. 2022 ; Vol. 36, No. 3. pp. 503-521.

Bibtex

@article{803caa7b1e5c4a41838b50aa52d34e21,
title = "{\textquoteleft}This Is the End{\textquoteright}?: An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative",
abstract = "Over recent decades, critical scholars have quite rightly warned of the control implications of new management initiatives. There is a danger, however, of treating control in a {\textquoteleft}distal{\textquoteright} way or as an {\textquoteleft}end{\textquoteright}. Through drawing on proximal theorising, we make explicit what is often implicit in such accounts, which is that control is best understood as unfinished, in process, for it is inherently contingent and unpredictable. Viewed in this way, control becomes elusive as it always has to be achieved. The article draws on ethnographic research conducted in a back office of a manufacturing organisation to illustrate this understanding of management control. It highlights tensions between staff and management and between multiple layers of management that can thwart control. ",
keywords = "distal, manufacturing, new management initiative, organisational control, organisational ethnography, proximal, unintended consequences",
author = "D. McCabe and S. Ciuk and M. Gilbert",
year = "2022",
month = jun,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/09500170211022272",
language = "English",
volume = "36",
pages = "503--521",
journal = "Work, Employment and Society",
issn = "0950-0170",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - ‘This Is the End’?

T2 - An Ethnographic Study of Management Control and a New Management Initiative

AU - McCabe, D.

AU - Ciuk, S.

AU - Gilbert, M.

PY - 2022/6/1

Y1 - 2022/6/1

N2 - Over recent decades, critical scholars have quite rightly warned of the control implications of new management initiatives. There is a danger, however, of treating control in a ‘distal’ way or as an ‘end’. Through drawing on proximal theorising, we make explicit what is often implicit in such accounts, which is that control is best understood as unfinished, in process, for it is inherently contingent and unpredictable. Viewed in this way, control becomes elusive as it always has to be achieved. The article draws on ethnographic research conducted in a back office of a manufacturing organisation to illustrate this understanding of management control. It highlights tensions between staff and management and between multiple layers of management that can thwart control.

AB - Over recent decades, critical scholars have quite rightly warned of the control implications of new management initiatives. There is a danger, however, of treating control in a ‘distal’ way or as an ‘end’. Through drawing on proximal theorising, we make explicit what is often implicit in such accounts, which is that control is best understood as unfinished, in process, for it is inherently contingent and unpredictable. Viewed in this way, control becomes elusive as it always has to be achieved. The article draws on ethnographic research conducted in a back office of a manufacturing organisation to illustrate this understanding of management control. It highlights tensions between staff and management and between multiple layers of management that can thwart control.

KW - distal

KW - manufacturing

KW - new management initiative

KW - organisational control

KW - organisational ethnography

KW - proximal

KW - unintended consequences

U2 - 10.1177/09500170211022272

DO - 10.1177/09500170211022272

M3 - Journal article

VL - 36

SP - 503

EP - 521

JO - Work, Employment and Society

JF - Work, Employment and Society

SN - 0950-0170

IS - 3

ER -