Controlling: meaning, importance, main concepts and types
Controlling is monitoring, comparing and correcting work performance. It links back to planning and can act before, during or after work: feedforward, concurrent and feedback control.
What controlling is
Robbins and Coulter define controlling as the management function of monitoring, comparing and correcting work performance. Henri Fayol saw control as checking whether everything happens in line with the plan, the instructions given and the principles set, so that weaknesses and errors are corrected and do not happen again. Control is the last function in the management cycle, but it feeds straight back into planning.
Why control is important
- Links to planning: shows whether goals and plans are being met.
- Empowers employees: with good controls, managers can delegate with confidence.
- Protects the organization and its assets from theft, waste, disasters and security threats.
- Helps managers cope with change by spotting problems early.
- Improves quality and reduces costs.
- Supports accountability to owners, regulators and the public.
Main concepts in controlling
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Standard | A target or yardstick against which performance is measured; it comes from goals and plans |
| Actual performance | The result actually achieved |
| Deviation (variance) | The gap between actual performance and the standard |
| Range of variation | The acceptable band of deviation around the standard |
| Corrective action | Steps taken to fix performance, or the standard itself |
| Feedback | Information about results used to adjust future work and plans |
Types of control by timing
| Type | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feedforward | Before the activity; prevents problems | Checking the quality of green tea leaf at the factory's weighing point |
| Concurrent | During the activity; catches problems as they happen | A supervisor walking the shop floor (management by walking around) |
| Feedback | After the activity; shows results and supports learning | A monthly sales report against target; customer surveys |
Approaches to control (William Ouchi)
Most organizations use a mix of the three approaches.
A Ceylon tea factory uses all three timing types: feedforward control by checking green leaf quality at the weighing point, concurrent control as supervisors watch withering and rolling, and feedback control through auction prices and buyers' comments on each batch.
Short answer: “What is feedforward control?” Control that takes place before the work starts, to prevent problems, such as checking raw materials before production.
Structured question: “Why is control important?” Links to planning, empowers employees, protects the organization and its assets, helps cope with change, improves quality and accountability: one line each.
Essay: “Define controlling. Explain the types of control with examples.” Definitions (Robbins, Fayol), importance, main concepts, feedforward, concurrent and feedback control with Sri Lankan examples, and Ouchi's market, bureaucratic and clan control.
Timing types: Feedforward = First (before), Concurrent = Current (during), Feedback = Finished (after). Ouchi's approaches = MBC: Market, Bureaucratic, Clan.