Industries use different types of control methods in management to keep employees safe and accountable, maintain standards and ensure consistent quality control of products. These controls can take place before, during or after any action in a business. Show
When a clothing store receives a shipment of new jeans, those garments can be inspected for defects before acceptance to ensure that customers get a consistently superior product. The store's manager can monitor employees during sales efforts on the floor to make sure they are courteous and helpful to customers. Keeping an accurate inventory, tracking sales numbers, and using email lists and phone numbers to stay in touch with customers are also examples of controls that can be used after a purchase to monitor satisfaction and drive future sales.
There are three accepted types of control methods in management, identified by the time that they take place: before, during or after a process. These types of controls help managers gain feedback that can be used to maintain a consistent, safe and profitable workplace.
Feedforward controls are also known as preliminary, preventive or pre-action controls. As the name implies, these controls take place before a process to make sure bad things do not happen in the first place. The controls identify actions to be taken before a problem occurs.
Concurrent controls, also known as steering or preventive controls, are ongoing controls that help maintain quality and consistency. They usually involve the monitoring of employees directly involved with customers or the manufacturing process. When developing concurrent controls, an employer sets a standard to measure against and generates a set of guidelines or regulations that employees are expected to follow.
Feedback controls, also known as post-action controls, are controls that occur after a process to gain feedback or information that can determine whether performance standards, sales quotas or other measurable criteria are being met.
Feedforward controls are designed to anticipate problems or deviations from standards in advance of their occurrence. They are broken into two categories:
Concurrent controls are commonly referred to as steering controls because they allow an action to be taken while a deviation is occurring; a business representative can quite literally steer the course of an interaction.
Concurrent controls are more common than you might realize. A restaurant waiter must learn what is on the menu and what comes with the meal. A car salesman must know the features of the vehicle he is trying to sell. Workers in factories employ machines that measure products to make sure they meet standards of weight, size and other criteria.
Managers may use feedback controls, or post-action controls, to identify a salesperson whose quotas are consistently not being met and who needs supplemental training or dismissal from his job. If several customers complain about a loose part in a child's toy, the appropriate post-action control may be a recall to prevent a choking hazard. If sales information shows that product inventory is depleting quickly, it may be a sign that production needs to increase.
Elimination removes the hazard at the source. This could include changing the work process to stop using a toxic chemical, heavy object, or sharp tool. It is the preferred solution to protect workers because no exposure can occur. SubstitutionSubstitution is using a safer alternative to the source of the hazard. An example is using plant-based printing inks as a substitute for solvent-based inks. When considering a substitute, it’s important to compare the potential new risks of the substitute to the original risks. This review should consider how the substitute will combine with other agents in the workplace. Effective substitutes reduce the potential for harmful effects and do not create new risks. Elimination and substitution can be the most difficult actions to adopt into an existing process. These methods are best used at the design or development stage of a work process, place, or tool. At the development stage, elimination and substitution may be the simplest and cheapest option. Another good opportunity to use elimination and substitution is when selecting new equipment or procedures. Prevention through Design is an approach to proactively include prevention when designing work equipment, tools, operations, and spaces. Engineering ControlsEngineering controls reduce or prevent hazards from coming into contact with workers. Engineering controls can include modifying equipment or the workspace, using protective barriers, ventilation, and more. The NIOSH Engineering Controls Database has examples of published engineering control research findings. The most effective engineering controls:
Engineering controls can cost more upfront than administrative controls or PPE. However, long-term operating costs tend to be lower, especially when protecting multiple workers. In addition, engineering controls can save money in other areas of the work process or facility operation. Administrative ControlsAdministrative controls establish work practices that reduce the duration, frequency, or intensity of exposure to hazards. This may include:
PPEPPE is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards. Examples of PPE include gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, hard hats, and respirators. When employees use PPE, employers should implement a PPE program. While elements of the PPE program depend on the work process and the identified PPE, the program should address:
Employers should not rely on PPE alone to control hazards when other effective control options are available. PPE can be effective, but only when workers use it correctly and consistently. PPE might seem to be less expensive than other controls, but can be costly over time. This is especially true when used for multiple workers on a daily basis. When other control methods are unable to reduce the hazardous exposure to safe levels, employers must provide PPE. This includes:
Administrative controls and PPE require significant and ongoing effort by workers and their supervisors. They are useful when employers are in the process of implementing other control methods from the hierarchy. Additionally, administrative controls and PPE are often applied to existing processes where hazards are not well controlled.
Learning Outcomes
 Control in general is a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system. Control in a business setting, or organizational control, involves the processes and procedures that regulate, guide, and protect an organization. It is one of the four primary managerial functions, along with planning, organizing, and leading. One common type of control companies use is a set of financial policies. These policies may not be communicated to all employees, but they exist for all but the smallest firms. Controls start with managing cash. For example, controls limit check-writing authority and the use of company credit cards. For example, a firm may require two signatures on checks more than $10,000 or have one person to log journal entries and another person to review the entries. These policies help prevent fraud and errors as well as monitor whether company goals are being met. In larger companies, each department manager submits an annual budget and profit-and-loss statements. The most common style, or approach, of organizational control is top-down control. With top-down control, decisions are made by high-level executives, and information flows down to the lower-level employees of the organization. The three types of organizational control include the familiar feedback, proactive, and concurrent controls. We’ll talk about these more later, but first, let’s explore some of the benefits and disadvantages of organizational control. Implementing Organizational ControlOrganizational control involves developing rules, procedures, or other protocols for directing the work of employees and processes as well as monitoring the work. Organizational control is an important function because it helps identify errors and deviation from standards so that corrective actions can be taken to achieve goals. The purpose of organizational control is to ensure that a specific function is performed according to established standards. BenefitsOrganizational control has many varied benefits, including improved communication, financial stability, increased productivity and efficiency, help in meeting annual goals, improved morale, legal compliance, improved quality control, and fraud and error prevention. Controls help to better define an organization’s objectives so that employees and resources are focused on them. They safeguard against misuse of resources and facilitate corrective measures. Having good records means management will better understand what happened in the past and where change can be effective. All businesses need controls. Even sole proprietor businesses must keep records for tax reporting. Public companies are legally required to have extensive controls to protect stockholders, and good controls help a company to raise funds through stock and debt issuance. Employee morale may be higher when workers see that management is paying attention and knows what it is doing. As an earlier module discussed, better morale means better productivity. Better controls can mean more freedom and responsibility for employees. Management is able to step back a little, knowing that the controls will flag any exceptions. Toyota has made control a competitive advantage. As an article in the Harvard Business Review says, “Toyota’s way is to measure everything—even the noise that car doors make when they open and close as workers perform their final inspections on newly manufactured automobiles.” After bad publicity over unusual brake issues, Toyota was again at the top of Consumer Reports’ 2016 reliability report. DisadvantagesEven the simplest control is an added expense. Some systems can be very expensive, so management must weigh the cost versus the benefit for each control. Banks spend billions on controls, but it is worthwhile for the large banks, because they handle trillions and their profits are still in the billions. A control mentality can lead to overstaffing and unsustainable costs for some businesses. Community banks, for example, feel the burden of new regulations on the banking industry more heavily than the largest nationwide banks. Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and quoted in the New York Times “suggests that adding just two members to the compliance department would make a third of the smallest banks unprofitable.” A less obvious expense is maintaining the controls. Systems need continuous updating as the organization changes. If they are not maintained, the controls may become ineffective. Controls can become a blind spot for management. Overreliance on controls may lead to relaxation in supervision and allow manipulation of accounts and assets. Employees tend to follow the letter of rules, not the intent, so management needs to check in regularly on how controls are actually operating. A rigid implementation may lead to a slowdown in the operation of the business. At Freddie Mac, a financial services company, the new product approval process required 25 signatures and took more than a year. The new opportunities in the market disappeared before products could be approved. The wrong controls may expose the firm to more errors and fraud. And employees will be frustrated if the controls are cumbersome. Contribute!Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input. Improve this pageLearn More |
What are the major types of control of employees in the workplace?
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