Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Part I Introduction and history
- Part II Conceptions of organizational control
- Part III Identity, attention, and motivation in organizational control
- 5 Identity work and control in occupational communities
- 6 Organizational identity and control: can the two go together?
- 7 Attention and control
- 8 The role of motivational orientations in formal and informal control
- Part IV Relational control
- Part V Managerial and strategic control
- Index of terms
- Author index
- References
6 - Organizational identity and control: can the two go together?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Part I Introduction and history
- Part II Conceptions of organizational control
- Part III Identity, attention, and motivation in organizational control
- 5 Identity work and control in occupational communities
- 6 Organizational identity and control: can the two go together?
- 7 Attention and control
- 8 The role of motivational orientations in formal and informal control
- Part IV Relational control
- Part V Managerial and strategic control
- Index of terms
- Author index
- References
Summary
Organizational control theorists traditionally have conceptualized control as any process by which organizations or their representatives channel individuals' and groups' efforts toward the attainment of organizationally desired objectives (Eisenhardt,1985; Flamholtz et al., 1985; Jaworski, 1988; Ouchi, 1977, 1979). The underlying assumption in this conceptualization of control is the divergence of interests between the organization and the individual such that individuals are likely to take care of their own interests ahead of those of the organization. These theorists argue that organizations need to control individuals through either formal mechanisms (Blau and Scott, 1962) or by co-opting them into either the culture or values of the organization (Ouchi, 1979). We argue that this conceptualization of control takes into account only a part of the relationship between individuals and organizations, and it offers a limited view on human motivation. Indeed individuals and organizations might not have divergent interests, and organizational members need not forego their own interests in favor of those of the organization in order to retain their membership in these organizations. In fact, the research on organizational identification suggests that individuals can benefit in many ways from their organizational membership (Dutton et al., 1994; Pratt, 1998), and that organizations play a major role in shaping how individuals define themselves (George and Chattopadhyay, 2005). Furthermore, individuals like Cervantes's Don Quixote might be driven by a strong belief in who they are, and their actions might be shaped by their commitment to this identity rather than external rewards or punishments (March and Weil, 2005).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Organizational Control , pp. 167 - 190Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
References
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