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The University of the West Indies

Open Campus

Certificate in Human Resource Management

Course: Principles of Business Management

Graded Assignment: Can an organization function effectively without

controls? Why or why not?

UWI Student ID#: 320073827

Tutor: Ingrid Campbell

Due Date: January 13th, 2022

Control is a systematic, goal oriented, process which managers use to regulate activities within

an organization to make them consistent with expectations in meeting targets and standards of

performance according to Richard L Daft. It is a four step process that ensures that operations in

the organization are performed as planned. Control in an organization is seen as an evaluation

tool that compares the performance standards set to the actual performance of the employees by

monitoring them. Managers can then decide what information is essential, how they can obtain it

and how they should respond to it inclusive of actions taken to correct any deviations from the

organization’s standards. Control is one of the functions of management that ties in along with

planning, organizing and motivation, staffing and leading. There are both positive and negative

factors in applying control to organizations.

Managers’ approach to control is presently changing. There are two types of control approaches

being taken in organizations. Hierarchy control, which involves influencing and monitoring

employee behaviors through the implementation of rules, policies, documentation and reward

systems just to name a few. Decentralized approach is the second one which is dependent on use

of cultural values in the organization, shared beliefs to focus on goals rather than through rules

and procedures.

Setting a standard of performance is the first step taken in the control process. Specific plans and

attainable goals should be straightforward so that employees know exactly what is expected of

them to get the job done. It helps to monitor productivity and the calibre of work produced.

Training and teaching is also provided to ensure that things run smoothly. Secondly, the standard

of performance is measured. The quality of output produced by the employee is reviewed over a

period of time and performance can be measured during and after the action has been taken. A

comparison of the actual performance to the standard of performance is done in the third step.
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This is the procedure that determines whether the targets set within the company have been met,

if it was exceeded or if the employees fell short due to any deviations caused by internal or

external factors. In this way managers can state what internal and external factors affected the

performance of the employees. The last step in the control process is done by taking corrective

action. Managers can now decide how things can be done differently by creating solutions and

taking new approaches to fix issues so that employee performance can be improved and

standards of performance can be met. Managers often use a traditional top down approach where

they either encourage employees to work harder, change the performance process or fire

employees.

Planning is essential in every function of management. Planning creates standards for employees

and operations. It states the control’s course of action taken for future achievements of objectives

given. Both control and planning are dependent on each other as they work hand in hand. By

using control, managers can look back to see if the objectives were completed and if the

employee output meets the standard of performance or not. Managers can then identify, prevent

and correct deviations by adjusting the design controls.

Staffing is the process of recruitment and selection along with development and training that

allows the placing of the right person in the right job in the organization. Control here decides

whether or not capable and fit for the job. When job descriptions change and employees are

promoted or organizations downsize, controls change.

Organizing is one of the functions affected by control. After planning, managers must arrange

employees and resources according to the plan as well as progress is measured. As organizations

change they adjust or create standards and controls to adapt to the change.
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Leading focuses on managing controls along with employees. Leaders must know all the

important points of control and gather necessary information. In this way leaders can develop

and adjust their controls and they have the ability to direct and manage the employees

responsible for control activities.

Motivation follows the theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs where social needs motivates

behavior of employees. Motivation is positively associated with the employee performance and

control because it increases their willingness to work. Better performances results in higher

output productivity from employees therefore achieving the required standard of performance.

There are many benefits that control can bring to an organization such as reducing conflict by

improved communication which leads to increased efficiency of executions. It minimizes

supervision by creating discipline amongst employees which detects deviations in a timely

manner in which objectives are met on time. Control assists in coordination by implementing

factors that also aids efficiency in all departments which keeps employees on the right track.

Finally control elevates employees and increases their confidence because they know what

specific role they play and what they are held responsible for.

However there are some limits to having control in an organization. Control cannot be applied to

external factors, managers may assume that these factors would remain the same but they can

change. Sometimes control causes resistance from employees when they feel overwhelmed and

pressured if targets are not attainable to them and when they are not being treated fairly for their

output. Control systems can be very time consuming as a lot of time and effort has to be given to

observe employees. They can also be very costly to install with the use of information

technology.
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A lack of control can have repercussions that damages an organization’s health, hurt its

reputation and threaten its future. The management control function is critical to the success of

the organization. Control, together with each other function of management all have one

common goal which is to ensure the successful function of the organization as control makes it

more powerful. Therefore an organization cannot function effectively without controls.

References

 (Carpenter & Bauer, 2012) Management Principles

https://2012books.lardbucket.org/pdfs/management-principles-v1.1.pdf

 (Daft, R. L, 2010) Management. Mason, Ohio

 Managementgudie.com