Command and Control (government)
Encyclopedia
In management, command and control refers more generally to the maintenance of authority
with somewhat more distributed decision making
. In these civilian contexts, the term "command" is unfashionable but the meaning is the same. Some management science theorists even hold that the idea is now obsolete. For instance, Dee Hock
says that "Purpose and principle, clearly understood and articulated, and commonly shared, are the genetic code of any healthy organization. To the degree that you hold purpose and principle
s in common among you, you can dispense with command and control. People will know how to behave in accordance with them, and they'll do it in thousands of unimaginable, creative ways. The organization will become a vital, living set of beliefs." However, purpose and principle notions generally involve linear, predictable systems, which would thus not require command and control.
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
with somewhat more distributed decision making
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
. In these civilian contexts, the term "command" is unfashionable but the meaning is the same. Some management science theorists even hold that the idea is now obsolete. For instance, Dee Hock
Dee Hock
Dee Ward Hock is the founder and former CEO of the VISA credit card association. In 1968, Hock convinced Bank of America to give up ownership and control of their BankAmericard credit card program. The new company, called National BankAmerica, was a non-stock membership corporation equally owned...
says that "Purpose and principle, clearly understood and articulated, and commonly shared, are the genetic code of any healthy organization. To the degree that you hold purpose and principle
Principle
A principle is a law or rule that has to be, or usually is to be followed, or can be desirably followed, or is an inevitable consequence of something, such as the laws observed in nature or the way that a system is constructed...
s in common among you, you can dispense with command and control. People will know how to behave in accordance with them, and they'll do it in thousands of unimaginable, creative ways. The organization will become a vital, living set of beliefs." However, purpose and principle notions generally involve linear, predictable systems, which would thus not require command and control.