Command and control (disambiguation)

The phrase command and control is used in various fields:

In the military: The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. Command and control functions are performed through an arrangement of personnel, equipment, communications, facilities, and procedures employed by a commander in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling forces and operations in the accomplishment of the mission. Also called C2.

The term 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 principles 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, such theories are just that, since purpose and principle notions generally involve linear, predictable systems, which would thus not require command and control. In the military this principle has been applied by German armed forces since the 19th century as Auftragstaktik.

In internet usage:

The term command and controll (note the double l) is sometimes employed by Internet trolls to suggest that their activities are more organized than they might appear.

See also