Team examples, Panopticon Effect

Examples of the Panopticon Effect in Teams

Visible Surveillance Tools

• Status Indicators on Communication Platforms
  • Tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack show when someone is online or idle
  • Employees often stay active or respond promptly because they know their status is visible
• Activity Monitoring Software
  • Some companies use software that tracks keystrokes, screen activity, or time spent on tasks
  • Even if not actively monitored, the possibility influences behaviour

Managerial Presence

• Open Office Layouts
  • When managers sit among employees or frequently walk through the workspace, team members tend to stay focused and avoid distractions
• Surprise Check-ins
  • Random performance reviews or audits can encourage consistent ethical behavior, as employees never know when they’ll be evaluated

Peer Accountability

• Anonymous participation (unseen observer)
  • Anonymous role can be people, but ultimately could be an AI agent monitoring visible surveillance tools, dashboards, metrics
  • Team members informed of anonymous role
    • Nobody knows who the person is (ie., anonymous)
    • If a team member, will not divulge role since doing so would damage reputation and trustworthiness
  • Role is to watch for ill-performance (eg., dishonesty, gaming, scheming, cheating, shortcuts, disinforming, etc.)
  • 1:1 interactions are more honest as both assume they are being watched
• Shared Dashboards and Transparent Metrics
  • Entering narratives in SenseMaker® to capture actions taken and decisions made
  • When team performance is visible to everyone, individuals are more likely to meet expectations and avoid cutting corners
• Collaborative Tools with Version History
  • Platforms like Wikipedia, Google Docs or GitHub track changes and authorship, discouraging unethical edits or deletions