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OCCIDENTAL MINDORO STATE COLLEGE

Labangan, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
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A Module
in
Principles of Management

Compiled by:

MAE D. BAREN, PhD

The compiler do not own any of the contents of this learning module. Due credits and acknowledgment are
given to the authors, internet sources, and researchers listed on the reference page. Such sources are reserved to
further explain concepts and cannot be credited to the compiler and the school. All diagrams, charts, and images
are used for educational purposes only. The sole objective of this instructional material is to facilitate
independent learning and not for monetary gains because this is NOT FOR SALE.

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 CHAFPTER V

CONTROL

After reading and studying this chapter, learner should be able to:
1. Define Control
2. Importance of control in management
3. Describe the control process
4. Identify organizational control process

Control is a regulatory process of establishing standards. These standards are used

to achieve organizational goals, comparing actual performance to the standards, and
taking corrective action when necessary to restore performance to those standards
(William, 2012).

The Control Process

According to William (2012), control has its basic process to be

established and measured to meet organizational goals and objectives, namely:

1. Standards – are a basis of comparison for measuring the extent to which

organizational performance are satisfactory or unsatisfactory. It can also be
determined by benchmarking with other companies. Benchmarking is the
process of determining, how well other companies (though not just
competitors) perform business functions or task.

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 2. Comparison of Standards – this is to compare actual performance to
performance standards. The quality of the comparison largely depends on the
measurement and information system a company uses to keep track of
performance. The better the system, the easier it is for a company to track
performance and identify problems that need to be fixed.
3. Corrective Action – this is to identify performance deviations, analyze
performance deviations, and then develop and implement programs to
correct them.
4. Dynamic Cybernetic Process – this begins standards and then measuring
performance and comparing performance to the standards. If the performance
deviates from the standards, managers and employees analyze the deviations
and develop and implement corrective programs that achieve the desired
performance standards. Cybernetics derives from the Greek word kubernetes,
meaning “steersman,” that is, one who steers or keeps a craft on course.
5. Control isn’t Always Worthwhile or Possible – this is achieved when behavior
and work procedures conform to standards and goals are accomplished. By
contrast, control loss occurs when behavior and work procedures do not
conform to standards. Futhermore, maintaining control is important because
loss of control prevents organizations from achieving their goals.

These control process emphasized by Chuck Williams, are indicators for managers to
serve as their guidelines in managing workforce. It is very essential for a managers
to quickly identify and easily recognize controllable and uncontrollable situations, as
basis of effectively providing smart decisions.

Methods of control

According to Williams (2012), there are five different methods to achieve control in
the organizations, namely:

1. Bureaucratic Control – is from top to down control, in which managers try to

influence employee behavior by rewarding or punishing employees for
compliance or non compliance with organizational policies, rules, and
procedures.
2. Objective Control – is the use observable measures of employee behavior or
output to assess performance and influence behavior. Williams, chuck
mentioned that there are two kinds of objective control, namely:

2.1 Behavior control is the regulation of behaviors and actions of workers do

on the job. The basic assumption of behavior control is that if you do the

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 right things (i. e, the right behaviors) every day, then those things should
lead to goal achievements. Furthermore, behavior control is still
management-based for monitoring and rewarding or punishing workers
for exhibiting desired or undesired behaviors.
2.2 Output control measures the results of their efforts. It gives managers for
workers the freedom to behave as they see fit as long as they accomplish
pre-specified, measurable results and it is often coupled with rewards
and incentives.
3. Normative control – to shape the beliefs and values of the people who
works, normative control is a company’s widely shared values and beliefs
guide worker’s the behavior and decisions. Furthermore, it is created in two
ways: First, companies that use normative controls are very careful about
whom they hire. And second, managers and employees learn what they
should and should not do by observing experienced employees and by
listening to the stories they tell about the company.
4. Concertive Control – are based on beliefs that are shaped and negotiated by
work groups. Furthermore, concertive control is not established overnight.
Highly autonomous work groups evolve through two phases as they
develop concertive control. In plase one group members learn to work with
each other, supervise each other’s work, and develop the values and beliefs
that will guide and control their behavior. And because they develop these
values and beliefs themselves, work group members feel strongly about
following them… The second phase, is the emergence and formalization of
objective rules to guide and control behavior. The beliefs and values
developed in phase one usually developed into more objectives rules as new
members join teams. The clearer those rules, the easier it becomes for new
members to figure out how and how not to behave.
5. Self-control – is a control system in which managers and workers controls
their own behavior. Self-control does not result in anarchy, or state in which
everyone gets to do whatever he or she wants. Moreover, in self-control,
leaders and manages provide workers with clear boundaries within they
may guide and control their own goals and behavior.

Organizational Control Focus

According to daft (2008), control can be typified by events such as before, during,
or after, it can be named as feed forward, concurrent and control it is described as
follows:

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 1. Feed forward control – it is a control that focuses on human,
material, and financial resources flowing into the organization;
also called as preliminary or preventive control.
2. Concurrent control – it is a control that consists of monitoring
ongoing activities to ensure that they are consistent with
standards.
3. Feedback control – it is a control that focuses on the
organization’s output; also called as post action or output.

It can be viewed, that these types of control as stated by Richards daft will serve as
basis to view what would be the outcome for a particular events undertaking.
Identifying the specifies and /or indicators provides managers and employees the
view final output anticipated and solved.

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 Control is defined as a regulatory process of establishing standards to achieve
organizational goals comparing actual performance to the standards, and taking
corrective action when necessary to restore performance to those standards.
 Moreover, there are composed of five control process, namely: standards,
comparison of standards; corrective action; dynamic cybernetic process and
control isn’t always worthwhile or possible.
 Furthermore, there are five methods of control, namely: Bureaucratic; objective;
normative and self-control.
 Control can also by typified by events such as before, during, or after namely:
Feed forward; concurrent and feedback control.

Discussion Question

1. What is the definition of control?

2. When you go out and buy something in the grocery or any merchandise
inside the mall, observe certain control parameters set by the mall/ outlet
administration to anticipate present and future consequences and then
record your observation. How do the management of that outlet prepare for
such consequences that might occur? What method of control that they
practice and/or utilize/s?

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 TASK/ACTIVIT
Y
Name: __________________________________ Score:________________
Course/Section:___________________________ Date:________________

Directions: Enumerate the following items given below and while the correct answer
on the blank space provided.

The six control process

1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
4. ___________________________________
5. ___________________________________
6. ___________________________________

The five methods of controls

1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________
5. ____________________________________

The three type of control

1.______________________________________
2.______________________________________
3.______________________________________

The two kinds of Objectives Control

1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________