The Control Process
What Control Is
The regulatory process that directs the activities of an organisation to achieve anticipated goals and standards.
- Old concept. Control for detecting errors.
- Modern concept. Control for foreseeing problems and adjusting.
When done well: it ensures that the overall directions of individuals and groups are consistent with short and long term plans.
The key requirement of a control system is that it should maintain the level and kind of output needed to achieve the system’s objectives. (March and Simon)
The Four-Step Control Process
- Establish objectives and standards. Define performance objectives and standards to measure them.
- Measure actual performance. Identify deviations between desired and actual.
- Compare results with objectives and standards. Establish the need for action.
- Take corrective action. Three options: do nothing if performance equals standards; correct performance if standards are not met; revise the standard if it has become irrelevant.
Input vs Output Standards
- Input standards measure work efforts that go into a performance task (e.g. training).
- Output standards measure performance results in quantity, quality, cost, or time (e.g. product).
Control is the management function that keeps the organisation on track. It is closely linked to planning: planning sets the direction, controlling measures whether the organisation is following it. The working definition and the four-step control process sit at the core of how well-managed schools operate.
What management control is
The handout defines control:
Regulatory process that directs the activities of an organisation to achieve anticipated goals and standards.
Control is what makes plans real. Without control, plans drift. With control, plans get adjusted based on what is actually happening.
Two views of control
The handout names a useful distinction.
Old concept: control for detecting errors. Modern concept: control for foreseeing problems.
The old view treated control as inspection. After the work was done, check whether it was done correctly. The modern view treats control as anticipation. Watch the indicators throughout the work; adjust before problems become serious.
A school using the old view notices low test results at year end and tries to explain them. A school using the modern view tracks test results monthly, catches the drift early, and adjusts in time to prevent the year-end disaster.
What control does when done well
When done well, it ensures that the overall directions of individuals and groups are consistent with short and long term plans.
Control aligns work with intent. The grade-3 reading plan says students should hit a certain reading level. Control measures whether they are. If they are not, control triggers adjustment. The plan becomes a living document, not a one-time wish.
The March and Simon definition
The handout cites a foundational definition:
The key requirement of a control system is that it should maintain the level and kind of output needed to achieve the system’s objectives. (March and Simon)
March and Simon, writing in 1958, established the modern view of organisations as systems. Their definition of control names two things: the level (how much) and the kind (what type) of output needed. Control measures both. A school that hits volume targets but loses quality has met level and missed kind. A school that hits quality but never enough of it has met kind and missed level. Real control attends to both.
The four-step control process
The handout sets out a four-step process.
Step 1: Establish objectives and standards
Performance objectives are defined and the standards for measuring them are established.
The first step is to know what you are controlling against. Objectives are the targets. Standards are the measurable definitions of success.
In a school: the objective might be “grade-3 reading mastery”. The standard might be “90 percent of students reading at grade 3 level on the standardised assessment by year end”.
Two kinds of standards:
- Input standards. Measure the work that goes in. “Each teacher completes 40 hours of reading instruction per term.”
- Output standards. Measure what comes out. “Each student demonstrates the target reading level.”
A good control system uses both. Input alone (effort) does not guarantee output (results). Output alone (results) does not explain why results varied (effort).
Step 2: Measure actual performance
To identify deviations or variances between what is most desired and what really occurs. Effective control may not be possible without accurate measurement.
The second step is observation. What is actually happening?
In a school: the actual reading assessment results. The actual hours of instruction. The actual student attendance. The actual teacher attendance.
Measurement is harder than it sounds. Two common pitfalls:
- Measure what is easy, not what matters. A school may measure attendance (easy) and not measure teaching quality (hard) because the first is countable.
- Inaccurate measurement. Self-reported data is often inflated. Teacher reports that 90 percent of children are reading well may not match a formal assessment.
A school head who trusts only formal, accurate measurements gets better information than one who relies on impressionistic reports.
Step 3: Compare results with objectives and standards
Comparison of actual performance with desired performance establishes the need for action. Ways of making such comparisons include: historical / relative, benchmarking.
The third step is comparison. The plan said 90 percent. The actual is 65 percent. The gap is 25 percentage points. Now what?
Two useful comparisons:
- Historical. Compare this year against last year. Is the school moving in the right direction?
- Benchmarking. Compare against similar schools, against national standards, against best practice.
A school head who compares only against her own past misses external standards. A school head who compares only against external standards misses her own trajectory. Both comparisons add information.
Step 4: Take corrective action
Taking the action necessary to rectify or improve things.
The fourth step is action. The handout names three options.
Managers can choose from three courses of action: they can: a. Do nothing: keep the status quo if performance equals the standards. b. Correct the actual performance: when standards are not met, managers must carefully assess the reasons why, and take corrective action. c. Revise the standard: ensure that standards and the associated performance remain relevant for the future.
The third option is sometimes overlooked. A standard that was set in optimistic times may no longer be realistic. Or a standard that was set conservatively may be holding back performance. Revising the standard is not avoiding the work; it is recognising that conditions have changed.
A school head facing a gap should not jump to “the staff failed” or “the standard was wrong”. She should assess. Sometimes the staff need support to meet a valid standard. Sometimes the standard itself needs adjustment.
Why the process matters
The four steps are not optional. A school head who skips any of them produces predictable problems.
| Skipped step | Result |
|---|---|
| Establish standards | Nothing to compare against; control is impossible |
| Measure performance | No data; control is guessing |
| Compare to standards | Data exists but is not used |
| Take action | Comparison reveals the gap but the gap persists |
A school running the full cycle of all four steps is a learning organisation. A school skipping any step is a static organisation that repeats the same patterns year after year.
Establish standards, Measure, Compare, Take action.
Establish objectives and standards. Define both input standards (effort) and output standards (results).
Measure actual performance. Use accurate, formal measurement. Beware measuring what is easy rather than what matters.
Compare results with standards. Use both historical comparison (against own past) and benchmarking (against external standards).
Take corrective action. Three options: do nothing if performance meets standards; correct performance if it falls short; revise the standard if conditions have changed.
A school skipping any step produces predictable problems. The full cycle is what makes a school a learning organisation.
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