Foucault's corollary: Agency theory and the economics of self-monitoring

In a knowledge economy, the management of an organisation's human capital is critical and prudent management often translates into the attainment of a sustainable competitive advantage. The interaction of knowledge workers with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has presented a particularly interesting dynamic to researchers who study changes in related behavioural phenomena. One such phenomenon is self-monitoring. This paper examines the economics of self-monitoring and the integral role of ICTs in enabling knowledge workers to self-monitor. By merging Foucault's power/knowledge ideas with classical agency theory, we gain a richer understanding of human capital dynamics in a knowledge economy. Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.