Identifying innovative practices of management control among start-ups

Abstract

Management control in start-ups is regarded by practitioners as a critical issue with significant potential of development. On the other hand, researchers in this field recognise a lack of a systematic approach for applying management control models to help start-ups to succeed. This article aims to identify how start-ups use management control practices under an innovative approach. For the data collection, six workshops were held involving 91 entrepreneurs. The research suggests that start-ups use a great number of controls in relation to customer management, performance, employees, information systems, and risks. Furthermore, evidence was also found that the use of management control tools has become a priority for companies wishing to overcome challenges raised by the huge number of uncertainties faced by start-ups. The theoretical contributions of the model presented in this paper have mainly to do with the fact that management controls are implemented and used in different scopes of start-ups analysis. The practical implications put in evidence that control mechanisms can be formal or informal, adapting to a company's needs.