Control (management)

In 1916, Henri Fayol formulated one of the first definitions of control as it pertains to management: According to E. F. L. Brech: According to Harold Koontz: According to Stafford Beer: Robert J. Mockler presented a more comprehensive definition of managerial control: The control subsystem functions in close harmony with the operating system. The degree to which they interact depends on the nature of the operating system and its objectives. Stability refers to a system's ability to maintain a pattern of output without wide fluctuations. The rapidity of response pertains to the speed with which a system can correct variations and return to the expected output. A political election can illustrate the concept of control and the importance of feedback. Each party organizes a campaign to get its candidate selected and outlines a plan to inform the public about both the candidate's credentials and the party's platform. As the election nears, opinion polls furnish feedback about the effectiveness of the campaign and about each candidate's chances of winning. Depending on the nature of this feedback, certain adjustments in strategy and/or tactics can be made in an attempt to achieve the desired result. From these definitions, it can be stated that there is a close link between planning and controlling. Planning is a process by which an organization's objectives and the methods to achieve the objectives are established, and controlling is a process that measures and directs the actual performance against the planned goals of the organization. Thus, goals and objectives are often referred to as Siamese twins of management. The managerial function of management is the measurement and correction of performance to make sure that enterprise objectives and the goals devised to attain them are accomplished. The absence of a right to control the actions or working practices of person engaged at work is generally an indication that the working relationship with that person is covered by a contract for services and is not a form of employment. == Characteristics ==

• Control is a continuous process • Control is closely linked with planning • Control is a tool for achieving organizational activities • Control is an end-to-end process • Control compares actual performance with planned performance* • Control points out the error in the execution process • Control minimizes cost • Control achieves the standard • Control saves time • Control helps management monitor performance • Control compares performance against standards • Control is action oriented ==Elements==

The four basic elements in a control system are: • the characteristic or condition to be controlled • the sensor • the comparator • the activator They occur in the same sequence and maintain consistent relationships with each other in every system. Controlled characteristic or condition The primary requirement of a control system is that it maintains the level and kind of output necessary to achieve the system's objectives. It is usually impractical to control every feature and condition associated with the system's output. Therefore, the choice of the controlled item (and appropriate information about it) is extremely important. There should be a direct correlation between the controlled item and the system's operation. In other words, control of the selected characteristic should have a direct relationship to the goal or objective of the system. Sensor After the characteristic is sensed, or measured, information pertinent to control is fed back. Exactly what information needs to be transmitted and also the language that will best facilitate the communication process and reduce the possibility of distortion in transmission must be carefully considered. Information that is to be compared with the standard, or plan, should be expressed in the same terms or language as in the original plan to facilitate decision making. Using machine methods (computers) may require extensive translation of the information. Since optimal languages for computation and for human review are not always the same, the relative ease of translation may be a significant factor in selecting the units of measurement or the language unit in the sensing element. In many instances, the measurement may be sampled rather than providing a complete and continuous feedback of information about the operation. A sampling procedure suggests measuring some segment or portion of the operation that will represent the total. Comparison with standard In a social system, the norms of acceptable behavior become the standard against which so-called deviant behavior may be judged. Regulations and laws provide a more formal collection of information for society. Social norms change, but very slowly. In contrast, the standards outlined by a formal law can be changed from one day to the next through revision, discontinuation, or replacement by another. Information about deviant behavior becomes the basis for controlling social activity. Output information is compared with the standard or norm and significant deviations are noted. In an industrial example, frequency distribution (a tabulation of the number of times a given characteristic occurs within the sample of products being checked) may be used to show the average quality, the spread, and the comparison of output with a standard. If there is a significant difference between output and plan that cannot be corrected, the system is "out of control." This means that the objectives of the system are not feasible in relation to the capabilities of the present design. Either the objectives must be re-evaluated or the system redesigned to add new capacity or capability. For example, drug trafficking has been increasing in some cities at an alarming rate. The citizens must decide whether to revise the police system so as to regain control, or whether to modify the law to reflect a different norm of acceptable behavior. Implementor The activator unit responds to the information received from the comparator and initiates corrective action. If the system is a machine-to-machine system, the corrective inputs (decision rules) are designed into the network. When the control relates to a man-to-machine or man-to-man system, however, the individual(s) in charge must evaluate (1) the accuracy of the feedback information, (2) the significance of the variation, and (3) what corrective inputs will restore the system to a reasonable degree of stability. Once the decision has been made to direct new inputs into the system, the actual process may be relatively easy. A small amount of energy can change the operation of jet airplanes, automatic steel mills, and hydroelectric power plants. The pilot presses a button, and the landing gear of the airplane goes up or down; the operator of a steel mill pushes a lever, and a ribbon of white-hot steel races through the plant; a worker at a control board directs the flow of electrical energy throughout a regional network of stations and substations. It takes but a small amount of control energy to release or stop large quantities of input. The comparator may be located far from the operating system, although at least some of the elements must be in close proximity to operations. For example, the measurement (the sensory element) is usually at the point of operations. The measurement information can be transmitted to a distant point for comparison with the standard (comparator), and when deviations occur, the correcting input can be released from the distant point. However, the input (activator) will be located at the operating system. This ability to control from afar means that aircraft can be flown by remote control, dangerous manufacturing processes can be operated from a safe distance, and national organizations can be directed from centralized headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. - Kenard E. White ==Process==

Step 1. Establishment of Standard. Standards are the criteria against which actual performance will be measured. Standards are set in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Step 2. Measurement of actual performance Performance is measured in an objective and reliable manner. It should be checked in the same unit in which the standards are set. Step 3. Comparing actual performance with standards. This step involves comparing the actual performance with standards laid down in order to find the deviations. For example, performance of a salesman in terms of unit sold in a week can be easily measured against the standard output for the week. Step 4. Analysis the cause of deviations. Managers must determine why standards were not met. This step also involves determining whether more control is necessary or if the standard should be changed. Step 5. Taking corrective action. After the reasons for deviations have been determined, managers can then develop solutions for issues with meeting the standards and make changes to processes or behaviors. ==Classifications==

Control may be grouped according to three general classifications: For an illustration of mechanical control: as the load on a steam engine increases and the engine starts to slow down, the regulator reacts by opening a valve that releases additional inputs of steam energy. This new input returns the engine to the desired number of revolutions per minute. This type of mechanical control is crude in comparison to the more sophisticated electronic control systems in everyday use. Consider the complex missile-guidance systems that measure the actual course according to predetermined mathematical calculations and make almost instantaneous corrections to direct the missile to its target. Machine systems can be complex because of the sophisticated technology, whereas control of people is complex because the elements of control are difficult to determine. In human control systems, the relationship between objectives and associated characteristics is often vague; the measurement of the characteristic may be extremely subjective; the expected standard is difficult to define; and the amount of new inputs required is impossible to quantify. To illustrate, let us refer once more to a formalized social system in which deviant behaviour is controlled through a process of observed violation of the existing law (sensing), court hearings and trials (comparison with standard), incarceration when the accused is found guilty (correction), and release from custody after rehabilitation of the individual has occurred. In organizational control, the approach used in the program of review and evaluation depends on the reason for the evaluation — that is, is it because the system is not effective (accomplishing its objectives)? Is the system failing to achieve an expected standard of efficiency? Is the evaluation being conducted because of a breakdown or failure in operations? Is it merely a periodic audit-and-review process? When a system has failed or is in great difficulty, special diagnostic techniques may be required to isolate the trouble areas and to identify the causes of the difficulty. It is appropriate to investigate areas that have been troublesome before or areas where some measure of performance can be quickly identified. For example, if an organization's output backlog builds rapidly, it is logical to check first to see if the problem is due to such readily obtainable measures as increased demand or to a drop in available man hours. When a more detailed analysis is necessary, a systematic procedure should be followed. In contrast to organizational control, operational control serves to regulate the day-to-day output relative to schedules, specifications, and costs. Is the output of product or service the proper quality and is it available as scheduled? Are inventories of raw materials, goods-in-process, and finished products being purchased and produced in the desired quantities? Are the costs associated with the transformation process in line with cost estimates? Is the information needed in the transformation process available in the right form and at the right time? Is the energy resource being utilized efficiently? The most difficult task of management concerns monitoring the behaviour of individuals, comparing performance to some standard, and providing rewards or punishment as indicated. Sometimes this control over people relates entirely to their output. For example, a manager might not be concerned with the behavior of a salesman as long as sales were as high as expected. In other instances, close supervision of the salesman might be appropriate if achieving customer satisfaction were one of the sales organization's main objectives. The larger the unit, the more likely that the control characteristic will be related to some output goal. It also follows that if it is difficult or impossible to identify the actual output of individuals, it is better to measure the performance of the entire group. This means that individuals' levels of motivation and the measurement of their performance become subjective judgments made by the supervisor. Controlling output also suggests the difficulty of controlling individuals' performance and relating this to the total system's objectives. ==Problems==

The perfect plan could be outlined if every possible variation of input could be anticipated and if the system would operate as predicted. This kind of planning is neither realistic, economical, nor feasible for most business systems. If it were feasible, planning requirements would be so complex that the system would be out of date before it could be operated. Therefore, we design control into systems. This requires more thought in the systems design but allows more flexibility of operations and makes it possible to operate a system using unpredictable components and undetermined input. Still, the design and effective operation of control are not without problems. The objective of the system is to perform some specified function. The objective of organizational control is to see that the specified function is achieved. The objective of operational control is to ensure that variations in daily output are maintained within prescribed limits. It is one thing to design a system that contains all of the elements of control, and quite another to make it operate true to the best objectives of design. Operating "in control" or "with plan" does not guarantee optimum performance. For example, the plan may not make the best use of the inputs of materials, energy, or information — in other words, the system may not be designed to operate efficiently. Some of the more typical problems relating to control include the difficulty of measurement, the problem of timing information flow, and the setting of proper standards. ==Setting standards==

Setting the proper standards or control limits is a problem in many systems. Parents are confronted with this dilemma in expressing what they expect of their children, and business managers face the same issue in establishing standards that will be acceptable to employees. Some theorists have proposed that workers be allowed to set their own standards, on the assumption that when people establish their own goals, they are more apt to accept and achieve them. Standards should be as precise as possible and communicated to all persons concerned. Moreover, communication alone is not sufficient; understanding is necessary. In human systems, standards tend to be poorly defined and the allowable range of deviation from standard also indefinite. For example, how many hours each day should a professor be expected to be available for student consultation? Or, what kind of behavior should be expected by students in the classroom? Discretion and personal judgment play a large part in such systems, to determine whether corrective action should be taken. Perhaps the most difficult problem in human systems is the unresponsiveness of individuals to indicated correction. This may take the form of opposition and subversion to control, or it may be related to the lack of defined responsibility or authority to take action. Leadership and positive motivation then become vital ingredients in achieving the proper response to input requirements. Most control problems relate to design; thus the solution to these problems must start at that point. Automatic control systems, provided that human intervention is possible to handle exceptions, offer the greatest promise. There is a danger, however, that we may measure characteristics that do not represent effective performance (as in the case of the speaker who requested that all of the people who could not hear what he was saying should raise their hands), or that improper information may be communicated. Importance of control • Motivation for efficient employees • For complete discipline • Helpful in future planning • Aids efficiency • Decrease in risk • Helpful in coordination ==Limitations==

1. Difficult to set up quantitative standards: Controlling loses its benefits when standards and norms cannot be explained in volume statistics. Human behaviour, job satisfaction, and employee morale are some of the factors that are not well managed by quantitative measurement. The control loses some of its usefulness when it is not possible to define a situation in terms of numbers. This makes measuring performance and comparing it to benchmarks a difficult task. It is not an easy task to set principles for human work and set standards for competence and how to maintain one's level of satisfaction. In such cases, it depends on the decision of the manager. This is especially true of job satisfaction, employee behaviour and morale. For example, the task of measuring the quality of behaviour of employees is qualitative. It cannot be measured directly. To measure the behaviour of employees, absenteeism, conflict frequency, turnover etc. can be taken into account. If all these measures have a high proportion, it can be said that the behaviour of the employees in the institution is not great. It is clear that it is not possible to set criteria for all projects and suitable models are not completely accurate. 2. Less control on external controls: Any project operating in another state of the country under a government system cannot stop development. In addition, no company can manage the availability of technology, the latest acquisition of information technology and high competition in the market, etc. There are some issues that are not under the control of management or the organization. As such, the company cannot control external factors such as government policy, technological change, competition and anything that is not under the control of the company and makes things unmanageable. Policies need to be put in place through planning to ensure staff re-energizes improvements. It is incorrect to say that the manager by completing the management process may warn the organization. The manager can control internal factors (e.g. human power, infrastructure, etc.) but cannot control external factors (e.g. political, social change, competition, etc.) 3. Restrictions by employees: When a manager is used to managing his or her subordinates, some of his or her colleagues may refuse and report as directed by the manager or company. This usually happens because you are in control of the rules with or without discussion. For example, users in this field may resist when the GPS or control area of a control system is tracking their location. They see it as a restriction on their freedom. Employees are restricted or restricted in their freedom. Opponents of coping with this challenge are not under the control of the company in some respects. For example, workers may complain while kept under surveillance with the help of CCTV. Employees can resist using the camera for monitoring them. An employer may force employees but they cannot force them to work based on rules and regulations. The business environment is constantly changing. A new regulatory framework must be used to reverse this change. However, users are opposed to these systems. For example, if large company employees have CCTV (Close Circuit TV) to control their work, they will challenge this process. 4. Expensive to install: Establishing an effective control system requires significant time, financial resources, and managerial effort. Organizations must invest in skilled personnel, multiple management levels, and appropriate monitoring and reporting systems. These costs can be difficult for small organizations to bear, making comprehensive control systems more feasible for larger enterprises. 5. Overcontrolling can lead to employee turnover: However, legal aid covers a number of effective procedures if an employee has complaints; if the employee becomes upset by overcontrolling he might get irritated and moves to another company. In the current situation, managers often keep their employees under control several times to monitor their behaviour on the ground. This can be a hands-on example, especially in the case of new members and facilitates a variety of organizational changes. With too much control, employees feel their freedom is being violated. They do not want to work for an organization who do not let them work according to their preferences. That is why they go to other companies that do give them freedom. It takes much time and effort to manage the system. ==See also==