NWLC Helsingør April 2012 Time and Employee Control in the Temporalities of Boundaryless Work Henrik Lund, Roskilde University, DK

NWLC Helsingør April 2012

Time and Employee Control in the Temporalities of

Boundaryless Work

Henrik Lund,Roskilde University, DK

Time sociologists say:- The modern life make us poor on time –

Time has become the main enemy of freedom

The ‘TiGa’ perspective:- Contemporary work life is the starting

point of the modern societies acceleration – Scarcity of time has become the main enemy of employee control

Social acceleration

Point of departure

• We need to focus on the quality of time, rhythms created and eroded by the temporality of modern work if we are to understand the linkage between time, control and quality of work life



New conceptualisation of time in work

• Linier time and cyclic time • Conflicting temporal order • Instantaneous time• Unpredictability• Fragmentation• Stacking• Lack of time spaces• Juggling with time• Negotiating time• Flow• Rhythm

Central references • Csikszentmihalyi, M. et al. (1990): Flow…• Eriksen, T. B. (1999): Tidens historie….• Hassard, J. (1996): Image of Time in Work….• Nowotny, H. (1994). Time. The modern and postmodern

experience….• Perlow, L. (1999):The time famine: Toward a sociology of

work time….• Rosa, H. & W. E. Scheuerman (2008). High-speed society…• Hylland Eriksen, T. ([2001] 2007). Øyeblikkets tyranny…• Lefebvre, H. (2004): Rhythmanalyses. Space, Time and

Everyday Life….• Orlikowski, W.J. (2002). It’s about time….• Ylijoki, O. & Mätylä, H. (2003): Conflicting Time Perspectives

in Academic Work….• Westenholz, A. (2006) Identity, times and work….

Worker control

• Is control in contemporary working life increasing or declining?


New and old work• Traditional work: Taylorism and

bureaucracy as the enemy of employee control

• Boundaryless work: Time as additional enemy of employee control

- Huge difference between ‘having control’ and ‘being in control’

- Involvement and autonomy can be combined with bureaucratic control



Time, control and work strain

In traditional work, time is subject of managerial control, and the crux of labour conflicts,

Key concepts: •the length of working time, •the placement on the work day (working odd hours)•the breaks

Work is regulated by concepts on normal time, overtime, holidays etc.


Boundaryless work• Self-management

• Task-oriented work, internalization of control, out-put control

• Boundaries of time and space are blurred• virtualization of work; work can be carried out all

around the clock

• Individualization• Organizational hierarchies blurred, roles defined and

redefined by customers or users


The time - stress paradox

• Although we as individuals have more control over working time, e.g. Self chosen hours stress, symptoms are prevalent.

• Traditional regulation of working time does not apply in work characterized by boundarylessness


Our questions

• How to conceptualize time and control in boundaryless work?

• What is the relation between new temporal orders, control and strain?

• Which new strategies for ’re-regulation’ of time are needed?

The school: Baseline findings

Characteristics of work:

- Many task without any demarcation (the skilled and socially well-functioning and democratic child)

- Team organization

- Project and problem orientated learning

- Communication with peers, management, pupils, authorities



Findings related to time • The number of interpersonal relations

explode

• All natural gaps are filled with ad hoc planning and coordination

• Time is fragmented by interruptions

• The teachers are constantly ready to react on new impulses and information

• Are expected to find new and innovative teaching methods

Findings related to time (2)

• The teachers are constantly juggling with time and negotiating time with peers, family and management

• Unpredictability (e.g. absence) and uneven rhythms create long working days

• Many and long meetings challenge the theaters experience of meaning in work


Conclusions

• The teachers have control in work but do not feel like being in control with their overall work situation

• They lose control because there is never enough time and the temporalities are without (natural) rhythms

• Control is gained and lost collectively


What is to be done?

(Re)creation of temporal rhythms:- Collective obligations to create rhythms in

work practice – A time for every purpose- Pauses that support rhythms between

effort and regeneration - Demarcation of fast time too ensure time

for immersion- Create rhythms between work and leisure


Intervention

Focus on:

1. Lack of control

Or

2. Lack of time and unhealthy temporalities

- Resonance


Documents

NWLC Helsingør April 2012 Time and Employee Control in the Temporalities of Boundaryless Work Henrik Lund, Roskilde University, DK