| dc.description.abstract | Remote Work Arrangements (RWA) represent a significant shift in work dynamics, enhancing productivity, reducing commute, and improving work-life balance. However, RWA adoption has been mixed, partly due to concerns over trust and control. This thesis aims to understand how trust and control affect the adoption of RWA and the claims of its inefficiency. Surveying 283 US managers with staff responsibilities, the study seeks to find the influence between trust, control styles, the use of RWA, and managers' perceived output of their employees. The study provides insights into improving organizational policies and practices in the post-pandemic world where RWA is integral to many workplaces. The study is based on Sitkins et al.'s (2020) control literature review and research gaps, exploring formal and informal control and trust-control influence on RWA. The study also draws on Ouchi's (1977, 1979, 1980) framework to distinguish between principal-agent views and social control frameworks to understand organizational control's (OC) structural and human-centric aspects. The results show that trust has a positive impact on the adoption of RWA and a significant impact on the perceived performance of employees. It was also found that OC does not affect the adoption of RWA, and only informal control affects the perceived performance of employees. Last, trust shows a clear influence on control, supporting theories that suggest that trust and control work together to improve performance (Bijlsma-Frankema & Costa, 2005). This complementary view contradicts the principal-agent theories and supports newer research into this field. In conclusion, the results in this thesis emphasize the need for management to shift the focus from traditional control mechanisms to trust-centric approaches to better manage employees in RWAs. It highlights that traditional OC needs further research to comprehend the role of trust and control in the context of RWA. The findings lay the groundwork for more efficient and human-centric work environments as remote work expands across more industries and workplaces. | |
