What is Controlling? Introduction, Meaning, and Definition

What is Controlling? Introduction; Controlling is the last step of the management process but plays a crucial role without which the whole management process is incomplete. It can define as a function through which the actual and desired output are measuring. All organizations, business or non-business, face the necessity of coping with, problems of control. The relationship of Controlling with other Functions of Management.

Here are explain; What is Controlling? Introduction, Meaning, and Definition.

Like other managerial functions, the need for control arises to maximize the use of scarce resources and to achieve purposeful behavior of organization members. In the planning stage, managers decide how the resources would utilize to achieve organizational objectives; at the controlling stage; managers try to visualize whether resources are utilizing in the same way as planned.

Thus control completes the whole sequence of the management process. If the actual output differs from the desired output, the deviations are altogether removing or minimizing. There are basically two types of control mechanisms, viz. pro-active and reactive. The pro-active mechanism tries to predict future hurdles and solves them then and there. The reactive approach tries to rectify the damage done to prevent any similar loss in the future.

Definition of Controlling:

Control is any process that guides activity towards some predetermined goals. Thus control can apply in any field such as price control, distribution control, pollution control, etc. However, control as an element of management process can define as the process of analyzing whether actions are being taken as planned and taking corrective actions to make these to conform to planning. Thus control process tries to find out deviations between planned performance and actual performance and to suggest corrective actions wherever these are needed.

For example,

According to Henry Fayol,

“Control consists of verifying whether everything occurs in conformity with the plan adopted, the instructions issued, and the principles.”

Terry has defined control as follows;

“Controlling is determining what is being accomplished, that is evaluating the performance and, if necessary, applying corrected measures so that the performance takes place according to plan.”

The Main Steps in Control Function Include;

• Establishing performance standards.
• Measuring actual performance.
• Determining the gap between set standards and achieved performance.
• Taking corrective measures.

An integral activity in the controlling function is feedback. Without appropriate and valid feedback, no control measures can be successfully implemented. Feedback about a particular plan can help in identifying areas of improvement.

The Controlling Function Involves Following Activities;

• Bringing actual results nearer to the desired results.
• Improving the performance level of all activities being performed.
• Regulating the use of all the resources for achieving planned objectives and goals.
• The regulating working behavior of employees for maintaining order and discipline.
• Checking distortions and deviations taking place in occurs in conformity the system to make it more cost-effective.

If in the controlling step, there is a huge gap in the actual and desired performance, the whole management process is revising.

Features of Controlling:

Based on the definition of control, its following features can identify:

1. Control is forward-looking because one can control future happenings and not the past. However, on the control process always the past performance is measuring because no one can measure the outcome of a happening which has not occurred. In light of these measurements, managers suggest corrective actions for the future period.
2. Control is both an executive process and, from the point of view of the organizations of the system, a result. As an executive process, each manager has to perform the control function in the organization. It is true that according to the level of a manager in the organization, the nature, scope, and limit of his control function may different as compare to a manager at another level. The word control is also preceding by an adjective to designate a control problem, such as quality control, inventory control, production control, or even administrative control. In fact, it is administrative control, which constitutes the most comprehensive control concept. All other types of control may subsume under it.
3. Control is a continuous process. Though managerial control enables the manager to exercise control at the point of action, it follows a definite pattern and timetable, month after month and year after year on-a continuous basis.
4. A control system is a coordinated-integrated system. This emphasizes that, although data collected for one purpose may differ from those with another purpose, these data should be reconciled with one another. In a sense, the control system is a single system, but it is more accurate to think of it as a set of interlocking sub-systems.

Notes: You will come to know the definitions of all the seven Processes of Scientific Management; Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Motivating, Controlling.