Computerization and the quality of working life: the role of control

Does the degree of control people have over their work environments moderate the impact of computerization in organizations? This paper addresses this question with a quantitative case study and a national survey. Results of the case study show that clerical workers with more control over the day-to-day aspects of their jobs had better experiences with computing. However, the national sample provides no evidence to support the control hypothesis. In this study, women using computers had slightly worse jobs and more stress-related symptoms than those not using computers, and these negative associations with computerization weren't reduced if they had more control. It is likely that factors other than control had important impact on how computering technology was designed, deployed and used. Good design and good implementation, however they come about, may be more important than the users' control per se.