Corporate Autonomy and Institutional Control : The Crown Corporation as a Problem in Organization Design

Stevens examines institutional frameworks for Crown corporations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba between the early 1970s and the mid 1980s, showing how each framework establishes different practices and offers distinct strategic advantages. Organizational approaches in Alberta most closely approximated what the author calls a "e;self-contained"e; design, in which corporate actors had the advantage and were most able to achieve their own objectives. In Manitoba, where "e;vertical information systems"e; prevailed, central bureaucratic monitoring agents tended, to some extent, to wield influence over the corporations. Saskatchewan practice was akin to a "e;lateral relations"e; pattern, with an equilibrium between corporate and bureaucratic goals.