ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (SIA) and the Public Employment Service (PES) employ numbers, colours, and symbols as governance tools to subtly influence caseworkers’ behaviours and align them with organizational goals. Performance metrics in the SIA, such as its ‘9.0’ sickness insurance target, drive caseworker loyalty, performance orientation, and self-monitoring. Traffic-light management systems, like colour coding, visually signal workload status, promoting norms around productivity and cooperation. SIA symbols, such as digital bells and baskets, reinforce team-based task-sharing and case prioritization. PES symbols, such as models and images of self-leaders, were internalized by managers but criticized by caseworkers. While these tools generally support self-regulation, caseworkers respond variably: some embrace competitive targets, while others prioritize client-centred work over metrics. Nevertheless, this chapter finds that these governance tools subtly shape caseworkers’ subjectivities, integrating managerial norms with caseworker practices and forms of self-identification.
