Management Control Systems and their Connection to Exceptional Growth : an internal perspective

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the use of management control systems (MCSs) within high growth firms (HGFs) to support rapid growth. Considering that a lack of MCSs has been identified as a major cause of failure among start-ups, as well as that MCSs have been claimed to enable firms to grow more during their early years, this is a highly interesting topic for scholars as well as entrepreneurs. However, despite the exceptional opportunity that HGFs provide in examining this topic, there is a lack of contemporary research on how HGFs use MCSs to support their growth. To fill this gap a multiple case study was conducted, investigating how Simons’ (1995) levers of control were used to support growth within 12 different HGFs. Through drawing upon data from interviews with 19 different key people it was then found that MCSs support growth in various ways. Different boundary systems were found to increase chances of firm survival and provide a platform for growth. Additionally, the use of interactive systems was identified as a potential characteristic of HGFs. Moreover, the research questions former assumptions on the importance of forecasting.