Management control in auditing firms and its implications for managing coexisting objectives

While many organisations have coexisting goals, this is particularly true for auditing firms as they focus on professional as well as commercial objectives. Many studies find that auditing firms’ management control systems play a key role in the context of managing these professional and commercial objectives. While previous research increases our understanding of the relationship between the management control system and auditor behaviour, it typically only incorporates results-based controls (also referred to as output, diagnostic or cybernetic controls) such as the evaluation of financial performance. This stands in contrast to a large body of research which highlights that the management control system in auditing firms focuses relatively strongly on value-based controls (also referred to as socio-ideological or cultural controls) such as common beliefs and informal communication as well as on controls based on mentoring and training.