Observability of Work in the Context of Digitalization: Transition and Management Implications

Résumé En

This communication summarizes some principal results of a conceptualizing research that aims to examine the transition of work in the context of digitalization and its management implications through the lens of work observability—which is defined as the characteristics of work that make it perceivable, recognizable, describable, analyzable and assessable. Based on an exploratory review of the existing literature on the transition of work in the digital era through four dimensions: form of work, work content, work outcomes and workplace, this research develops a framework for analyzing the articulation between work observability and work observation in management by considering digital technologies as medium observers in this process. The framework is advanced through a typology containing three archetypes of work observation: standardized work observability, idiosyncratic work observability and composite work observability, with five possible combination management observation styles. The paper ends by arguing for the need to balance the utilization of digital mediums and human interaction in work observation.