📘 Requirements for Effective Control

(As proposed by Koontz and Weihrich)

Effective control is essential for ensuring that organizational activities proceed as planned and contribute toward the achievement of goals. For a control system to be meaningful and functional, it must be thoughtfully designed according to certain well-established principles.

Koontz and Weihrich outlined specific requirements that make control systems more reliable, relevant, and efficient. These requirements should be incorporated progressively—from foundational aspects to more adaptive and individualized ones.

🔹 1. Seeking Objectivity of Controls

Control systems must be objective, not subjective. This means that performance measurements should be quantifiable, observable, and verifiable. Controls based on vague or personal judgments can lead to confusion and inconsistency.

Example: Measuring productivity by units produced per hour is objective, whereas judging work “effort” without data is subjective.

🔹 2. Ensuring that Control Points Highlight Exceptions at Critical Areas

An effective control system should follow the exception principle—it should highlight significant deviations from expected performance, especially at critical control points. This helps managers focus their attention and resources where corrective action is most needed.

Example: If production drops by more than 10%, an automatic alert is triggered to address the issue.

🔹 3. Fitting the Control System to the Organizational Culture

Control mechanisms must be compatible with the values, beliefs, and norms of the organization. If the control system conflicts with the existing culture, employees may resist or ignore it, making it ineffective.

Example: In a highly autonomous work culture, rigid micromanagement-based control systems might face pushback.

🔹 4. Tailoring Controls to Individual Managers

No two managers operate the same way. Effective control systems must be customized to match the roles, responsibilities, and working styles of different managers. This personal fit enhances usability and acceptance.

Example: A frontline operations manager may need real-time dashboards, while a senior executive may prefer monthly summary reports.