8.4 Systems of Control

After reading Box 9.8, Systems of Control in Organizations: Ideal Types (p.263) I thought, “is there someone in the organization that actually thinks about the system of control?” I’ve been working in city government for over 23 years and in the early years I was very subordinate and just did what I was told. I never thought that the information I was being given should be questioned or altered. After about 15 years, I realized that the people in leadership weren’t there just because they were the best the organization could provide. I found that some of them were they because they tested very well.

So when I thought about the forms of control: Simple, Technical, Bureaucratic, and Concertive, I can see that as a member of this organization I had been exposed to the first three during the first 10 years. After achieving some success in the organization I have found myself in the Concertive Control on many projects. Although many times, the Concertive nature of the “control” is only felt because I am working alone on a creative project.