Managerial control and workplace regimes: an introduction

Managerial control and its wider setting in workplace and societal regimes has been an important feature of debates in Work, Employment and Society since its inception, providing some of its most highly cited articles. This Introduction to the first e-special seeks to present 10 key and diverse articles, situating them in the context of debates inside and beyond the journal. Core themes and contentious issues are identified and particular attention is paid to the nature of normative controls. After a period in the 1990s when the control debate dipped, it is argued that there are positive signs that more recent articles are rediscovering the broader focus on workplace regimes that was characteristic of earlier, classic contributions.