Jan Achterbergh Radboud University Nijmegen Dark organizational infrastructures Some advice to the perverted designer Jan Achterbergh Radboud University Nijmegen

Goal: to give some advice to the perverted designer Underline impact of infrastructures on human flourishing Provide insight in socio-cybernetic underpinnings of (dark) infrastructures Enable the identification of dark infrastructures in actual organizations Step 1. Inspiration: disciplines as described by Foucault, a fine example of a ‘dark’ design Step 2. Generalization: mapping the disciplines to the functional lay-out of organizations taken as adaptive systems

Inspiration: disciplines Disciplines: methods, new in the history of mankind, “which made possible the meticulous control of the operations of the body, which assured the constant subjection of its forces and imposed upon them a relation of docility-utility” (Foucault, 1977, p. 137). Analysis of processes Analysis of bodily behavior Analysis of space Syntheses of space, behavior, and processes

5. Hierarchical (panoptic) surveillance Normalizing sanctions Washing Housekeeping Simple medical care Caregiver 1 - e Caregiver f - o Caregiver p - z Client 1 Client 2 ………….. Client n-1 Client n 5. Hierarchical (panoptic) surveillance Normalizing sanctions Examination

Inspiration: disciplines Disquieting features Minimal and contingent goals Trivializing non-trivial behavior Reach into the mind of their subjects Make fear into a prime motivator Reduce responsibility and involvement Make constant subjection geared to docility and utility into a scientifically supported project Until now: disciplines are only one instance Is generalization possible?

Generalization: mapping the disciplines to a functional model of organizations Adaptation of goals Realization of goals Strategic regulation Design regulation Operational regulation Performing primary activities Infrastructure Structure HR Technology Meaningful survival

Performing primary activities Generalization: mapping the disciplines to a functional model of organizations Performing primary activities Docile and productive behavior of bodies geared to contingent goals Operational regulation Hierarchical surveillance Applying normalizing sanctions Design regulation Analysis & synthesis of space, bodily operations,processes resulting in infrastucture Examination Strategic regulation Contingent goals Docility and utility of ‘bodies’

Generalization: mapping the disciplines on a functional model of organizations Perhaps most disquieting: the disciplines fit nicely into the functional model describing organizations as adaptive systems… …in principle all organizations as adaptive systems CAN be designed to realize the six disquieting effects This is a huge opportunity for the perverted designer To cash in on this opportunity: the perverted designer should build - organizational structures - HR-systems - technologies that optimize the realization of the six disquieting effects How? Some tips for the perverted designer

Structure Build departments obscuring as much as possible the organization’s contribution to society (economies of scale, not economies of flow) Split up production tasks into small standardized tasks Separate regulatory and production tasks and split up regulatory tasks HR + technology Detailed description of tasks and competencies Related measurement system Normalizing rewards and sanctions Panoptic surveillance Contingency of goals Reducing involvement and responsibiliy / contingent goals De-professionalizing (trivializing) profesional (non-trivial) work Making fear prime motivational factor Disciplining workers to discipline themselves Enabling systematic research and improvement of discipline

If we look around us, it is not difficult to recognize both the disquieting effects, and the structural, HR and technology designs that allow for these effects Somehow, the perverted designer seems to be everywhere