Management Control System as a Package in Growing Startups

Abstract: Today, growing start-ups create most of the new jobs. The use of management control systems (MCS) increases as the company grows. This leads the company to abandon the personal management and implement a more professional agenda using MCS. However, the challenge for implementing MCS in a growing start-up is more difficult to predict than a company with a longer business cycle. Therefore, it is interesting to know how and why management control system as a package is designed in growing start-ups. This paper aims to contribute to knowledge about how and why management control system as a package is designed in growing start-ups. The analysis examines the empirical material collected from the interviews conducted. Similarities and differences between companies are primarily discussed and categorized according to the model that forms the basis of the interview material. Clear differences and similarities were identified primarily in the use of corporate culture, planning, performance measures, reward systems and administrative controls.