Electronic monitoring and the redundancy of control systems: The role of the supervisor

摘要

Despite an increasing amount of research on the concerns of lower level computer workers who perform clerical work using Video Display Terminals, there has been virtually no attention paid to the concerns and behaviors of their supervisors. Consequently, little is known about actual supervisory methods in settings with computerized performance monitoring systems.

rn

This paper reports on the results of a field study focusing on the supervisor's role in computerized and non-computerized data entry settings. Both supervisors and their employees comprised the research sample.

rn

In general, the results of this study do not support prior research regarding the differences in perception of closeness in supervision between VDT and non-VDT workers. Furthermore, the results suggest that the supervisors are largely under-utilizing the monitoring capabilities of the system. Implications for systems design are discussed.