The increase of control structures through information and communication technologies: the omnipresence of the “electronic panopticon” in the banking sector

Abstract

This paper analyzes, through the current Brazilian economic context, the new control setups in the restructuring and productive modernization process of private banks. The banking sector was chosen as a study object because it went through restructurings from the 1970s, incorporating organizational and technological innovations through the adoption of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) which keep being used. In this context, this paper aims to describe aspects of labor control through the increased use of ICTs, as well as to analyze the workers’ perception of this control. This set of themes is relevant, taking into account that the use of ICTs today is a crucial study object in the strategic management of organizations. However, one observes that the researches and academic studies related to the adoption of ICTs are largely based on a functionalist perspective. This study presents a counterpoint, in so far as it analyzes new forms of control from a critical perspective, emphasizing the practices which hide the manipulation of subjectivity, domination, and control of employees. One intends to highlight how the control structure is supported by ICTs in contemporary days and sustained by a political and ideological dimension. One conducted a field research in several banks using semi-structured interviews with managers and tellers. The testimonies point out that the previous coercive and punitive control gave rise to a more subtle kind of control, which includes active and cooperative membership mechanisms of these professionals.