Quotes on Control
DEFINITIONS OF CONTROL
J. Michael Geringer & L Hebert JIBS, Summer 89
J. Michael Geringer - Strategic Control in East-West Joint Ventures paper given at The First International Conference on East-West Joint Ventures, SUNY Plattsburgh, Oct 19-20, 1989
"'Control' ... refers to the process by which one organization influences, to varying degrees, the behavior and output of another entity through the use of formal or informal mechanisms.
Robert N. Anthony The Management Control Function
Boston, The Harvard Business School Press, 1988
" ... assuring implementation of strategies." 9
"Management control is the process by which managers influence other members of the organization to implement the organization's strategies." 10
Robert N. Anthony Planning and Control Systems: a Framework for Analysis
"Management control is the process by which managers assure that resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organization's objectives." 17
QUOTES
J. Michael Geringer & L Hebert JIBS, Summer 89
J. Michael Geringer Strategic Control in East-West Joint Ventures paper given at The First International Conference on East-West Joint Ventures, SUNY Plattsburgh, Oct 19-20, 1989
"'Control' ... refers to the process by which one organization influences, to varying degrees, the behavior and output of another entity through the use of formal or informal mechanisms. Formal control typically relies on authority-based power arising from such institutionalized mechanisms as ownership or organizational structure. However, control can also be exercised through a broad range of informal mechanisms which can influence behavior and thus affect the probability of achieving specific outcomes. The popular conception of control is in its deterministic form, wherein one entity has sufficient power ... to fully dictate behavior or outcomes. Nevertheless, control can represent a continuum, ranging from complete control to no control over outcomes. ..."
3 Dimensions of Control
Focus
"the scope of activities over which [one] seeks to exercise, or to NOT exercise, control."
"an outgrowth of ... strategic objectives"
"should reflect the key success factors which are critical to maintaining ... competitive advantage [and] economic viability."
"In identifying these key activities and decisions, ... managers must distinguish between what they WANT and what they NEED to control. Many firms ... have fallen into the trap of believing that more control is always better and ignore the direct and indirect costs associated with exercising that control."
Extent
"the degree of control exercised ..."
Mechanisms
"the means ..."
Critical Issue
"... the critical issue ... is to exercise control, in terms of focus, extent and mechanisms ... to successfully implement ... strategy without incurring a level of administrative or organizational inefficiencies which outweighs the gains ..."
"Sometimes it is necessary for the control structure to evolve over time ..."
Arnold Tannenbaum Control in Organizations, NYC; McGraw-Hill; 1968
"any process in which a person (or group of persons or organizations of persons) determines or intentionally affects what another person, group, or organization will do."
quoted in
Alfred M. Jaeger & B.R. Baliga, Control Systems and Strategic Adaptation: Lessons from the Japanese Experience, Strategic Management Journal, V. 6, 115 - 134; 1985
"... the cybernetic model [of control] is the most frequently referred to (Giglioni and Bedeian, 1974; Lawler, 1970). In this model, control is accomplished through monitoring of performance, comparing performance to a given standard, and taking appropriate actions to correct deviations from standards." J & B 116
W.G. Ouchi Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge, Reading, Mass.; Addison-Wesley; 1981
Bureaucratic control - based on rules and regulations and formal performance reviews
"A bureaucratic control system assumes the presence of standards, measurability of accomplishment and usability of feedback." J&B 121
Cultural control - a shared set of values and beliefs about how the organization operates
shared norms of performance
social obligation
Richard J. Schonberger World Class Manufacturing, The Free Press; 1986
... "Operator-centered maintenance, operator-centered quality, and operator-centered data collection and diagnosis are not just talk; WCM DEMANDS their use.
From a behavioral scientist's point of view, it sounds almost too good to be true. Those concepts resemble ones that have been the focal point in organizational behavior studies for years. Industry attended the classes, nodded approvingly, and then went back to business as usual: Managers are managers, and direct labor is direct labor. The experiments labeled worker participation may be dismissed as cosmetic. Industry was not interested in genuine involvement, because there was not a compelling concept of what direct labor should be involved in and why." 214
William Glasser, M.D. Control Theory in the Classroom, NYC; Harper & Row; 1986
"All of our behavior, simple to complex, is our best attempt to control ourselves to satisfy our needs, but, of course, controlling ourselves is almost always related to our attempts to control what goes on around us.
... It is ... important that you understand that the word CONTROL as used here does not mean 'to dominate.' It means only to act ... to satisfy our needs. For example, we CONTROL our car when we drive it or we CONTROL our anger when we are frustrated; we don't DOMINATE our car or our anger." 17