TOPIC THREE

CONTROLLING OPERATION
Controlling operation" or "operational control" refers to the act of managing and
monitoring activities within an organization to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and
adherence to plans and standards
CONTROLLING

The function of controlling consists of those activities that are undertaken to ensure that
the events do not deviate from the pre-arranged plans. It is the process of devising
ways and means of assuring that the planned performance is achieved.

It therefore involves the following;

 Setting standards of performance

 Determining methods of measuring such performance
 Measuring the actual performance using the right methods
 Comparing the measurements with the pre-determined standards
 Taking corrective action, where necessary to correct any deviation between
measured performance and expected performance

IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING AT WORK PLACE

 Leads to effective performance
 Proper use of resources
 Avoids duplication of work
 Makes workers be committed at work
 Helps in achieving goals on time

FEATURES OF CONTROL
 It’s an essential functions of management
 It’s a continuous process
 It’s based on planning
 Action is the essence of control
 Key to control lies in delegation
 Information is the guide to control
 Control aim at the future.
WHY ORGANIZATION CARRY OUT CONTROL
 To standardize performance in order to increase efficiency, cover costs and optimize
performance
 To safe guard company assets
 To standardize quality
 To set limits for delegated authority
 To measure and minimize negative work attitudes
 To monitor the changing environment
 Control necessary items due to complexity of activities undertaken by the
organization
 To facilitate decision making
 To enhance employee morale
 It promotes coordination of organizational activities
 To promote efficiency.
TYPES OF CONTROL
1) Feed Forward Control; this prevents anticipated problems, its future directed. It’s
desirable because it allows management to prevent problems rather than cure them
later.
2) Concurrent Control; this occurs while an activity is in progress. E.g. direct
supervision.
3) Feedback Control; this takes place after an action has occurred.
QUALITIES OF AN EFFECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM
 Accuracy – should generate accurate information to respond to existing problems
 Timeless- should provide timely information
 Economy –should be economically reasonable to operate
 Flexibility – should be flexible enough to adjust to adhere change and take
advantage of new opportunity
 Understandable – by all employees
 Reasonable criteria – should be reasonable and attainable
 Strategic placement- should be placed on strategic factors only
 Emphasis on exception
 Multiple criteria this give more accurate assessment
 Corrective action –should suggest what action should be taken to correct deviation
Techniques of controlling
1. Budgeting control
2. Operational audit
3. Personal observation
4. Scheduling techniques
5. Administrative controls
6. Evaluation control
7. Performance management
8. Policies and procedures
9. Quality control and operational management.

STAFF SUPERVISON
Staff supervision encompasses the oversight and guidance provided by a supervisor to
their team, encompassing tasks like hiring, training, assigning duties, and evaluating
performance to ensure smooth operations and employee development.

Staffing in the management function that deals with the recruitment, placement, training
and development of organizational members. Human resource management is a
continuous process with a focus of keeping the organization with the right people in the
right positions at the right time. That is to say fitting people to the job. It is the people
who supply talent, creativity and innovation to the organization. This means that
managers must take them seriously as important and therefore there is need to embark
on human resource planning.
Therefore the staffing process is a continuous process aimed at keeping the
organization supply with the right people in the right positions at the right time.
SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

▪ Apply supervision policy and procedure

▪ Communicate expectations

▪ Articulate how individual performance expectations align with organisational goals

▪ Develop performance goals in collaboration with the supervisee

▪ Provide fair, constructive, and timely feedback

▪ be prepared for meetings

▪ Ensure there are no surprises by regularly communicating feedback and identifying

areas for improvement

▪ Provide assistance, guidance, and coaching support as needed

▪ Conduct performance evaluations.

SUPERVISEE RESPONSIBILITIES:

▪ be prepared

▪ Comply with supervision policy and procedure

▪ Track and communicate progress towards performance goals

▪ Communicate workload challenges

▪ Identify professional development needs and opportunities

▪ be willing to share positive and negative experiences

▪ be open to receiving feedback

▪ Participate in performance appraisal processes

MONITORING PERFORMANCE
Performance monitoring is the systematic observation and analysis of performance,
used to identify deviations from normal behavior, potential issues, and areas for
improvement, ultimately aiming to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Employee performance monitoring is the practice of tracking the work of employees

including the quality, quantity, and efficiency of work. When you monitor the
performance of employees, you can paint a picture of how the business is running. It
highlights the areas that need to be improved. And it also provides crucial information
about what needs to be done for future plans.

Focusing on employee performance helps businesses and helps employees to unleash

their full potential. Performance monitoring has positive effects on morale and the
quality of work produced. Tracking performance is a win-win for both, employees and
the organization.

BENEFITS OF PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Improves workforce management:

Employee performance monitoring is part of a wider performance management
strategy. It helps with workforce and resource management. Keeping the current and
future workload in the open with employees helps to analyze the future requirements of
employees. If current workloads are too much for your employees, then you definitely
need to hire more people for workload planning. Or you can create a priority list and
manage the tasks accordingly.
Increases employee retention:
Companies that implement regular employee feedback have turnover rates 14.9% lower
than companies that receive no feedback. High staff turnover can heavily affect your
company. Not to mention the impact on staff morale and simply getting things done. The
nature of performance management ensures that the expectations of your employees
and their objectives are clear and regularly reviewed. That will eventually help
you improve employee retention in your organization.

Improves accountability:
Accountability plays a crucial role in the success of an organization, but ensuring
effective accountability isn’t easy. Often, people see accountability as a culture of
blame, which is 100% wrong in many senses. Effective accountability defines a
company’s mission, values, and goals, and ensures each individual understands their
role within that.
Boosts morale:
Appreciating your employees and saying that they are doing a good job, boosts their
morale. Every manager should recognize individuals from their team. It makes a
supportive environment for employees to grow. There should be appropriate
communication to address the need for improvement in their work.
The happier the employees are the more productivity. According to research, 69% of
employees say they would work harder if their efforts are recognized. It is a key to
maintaining employee morale.
Helps in identifying the right employees for promotion:
Performance monitoring is the best way to identify employees suitable for promotion. All
employees will be going through the same performance review process. It gives a better
perspective on employees to evaluate them for promotion. It will ensure that the right
employee is chosen, and make the selection process transparent.

BEST PRACTICES FOR EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE MONITORING:

Here are the steps to start employee performance monitoring:

Communicate clear expectations:
Your expectations from your employees should be clear. Your employees should have
an idea of the time frame that they need to complete their work. A sense of urgency
gives a boost to their workflow.
Another way to make sure your employees know exactly what they’re supposed to be
doing? Have them create goals for themselves, complete with a timeline for when each
specific goal will be met.
Measure both short-term and long-term:
The most effective performance measurements include both short-term task completion
and long-term performance, the latter of which paints a more striking picture of true
impact. Discover employee performance monitoring software that lets you track short-
term goals and long-term achievements, such as specific KPIs that can increase or
improve over time.
Individualize every approach:
 There are different approaches for different situations. You need to understand the
behavior of your employees and teach them in an appropriate manner. For instance, if
you know that an employee prefers straightforward communication and requires little
supervision, don’t attempt to over-explain projects or hold their hand through the
process.
Match tasks to skills:
Having an idea of your employee’s skill sets can be a game-changer. It can help you to
streamline the work process and assign tasks easier. Instead of assigning tasks
randomly, you can assign them according to their skill-sets, something they are good at.
Before giving an employee an assignment, ask yourself: is this the person best suited to
perform this task? If not, find someone else whose skills and styles match your needs.
Use employee performance monitoring tools:
For easily and effectively monitoring employees’ performance, you can also use
employee monitoring tools. For example
 Time Tracking
 Productivity Tracking
 Regular Screenshots
 Report Generation, and much more!
Reward improvement:
Start recognizing the hard work and effort of your employees and rewarding them for
their improvement. You want to let employees know that you recognize and appreciate
their improvement without seeming like you’re patronizing them. It’s not about gifts,
appreciation is more effective in motivating teammates.
Ask the employees themselves:
There are many ways to monitor employee performance, and one of them is asking the
employees themselves. Give your employees a chance to evaluate you and your
performance as a manager. You can go through an in-person meeting or conduct an
online survey, and give each member of your team a chance to describe what they think
of their roles, work environments, resources, training, etc.
Make sure performance appraisals are consistent:
Regular and timely appraisals ensure that employees are getting a proper wage for all
the hard work and effort they are putting in. Conducting performance appraisals
regularly also keeps goals at the forefront of daily tasks.