In order to re-engage organizational studies with organization design and formal structures, this paper explores the contemporary rise of a new type of organization, which we label ‘indicatocracy’. As a neologism combining of the concepts of “bureaucracy” and “indicators”, we define indicatocracy as a new organizational form that operates at the level of an organizational field, spanning across multiple professional organizations through the disciplinary power of indicators. Exploring the characteristics of indicatocracies as compared to classic approaches to bureaucracies and markets, we reveal their central disciplinary effects and how they constitute central vehicles for introducing change within professional bureaucracies through increased managerial control, thus reshaping internal and external power structures. We make propositions on the emergence and effects of indicatocracies, and propose a research agenda to stimulate future research on indicatocracies.
