The study, which is believed to be the first randomized control trial into workplace flexibility, saw participants divided into two groups. The first were taught various practices that aimed to increase their control over their work. So employees were trained to focus more on outcomes than face time.
Definition of Control Theory. In sociology, control theory is the view that people refrain from deviant behavior because diverse factors control their impulses to break social norms.
As briefly defined above, the means to enforce social control can be either informal or formal. Sociologist Edward A. Ross argues that belief systems exert a greater control on human behavior than laws imposed by government, no matter what form the beliefs take.