Deck 15: Controlling the Organisation

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT considered to be part of the controlling function of management?

A) set goals
B) develop appropriate standards
C) compare performance against standards
D) take steps to ensure that corrective actions are taken when necessary.

Answer 1

set goals

Question 2

To be effective, Jones and George suggest that controls must do three things - be flexible enough to cope with the unexpected, allow accurate assessments of company events and:

A) conform to departmental goals.
B) include the relevant processes to assist with product development.
C) provide information as soon as possible.
D) utilise innovative technology.

Answer 2

provide information as soon as possible.

Question 3

Reorganisation, increased training or greater leadership influences are examples of:

A) a control system
B) control feedback
C) organisational standards
D) clarified communication.

Answer 3

control feedback

Question 4

In control-system development, managers react to significant environmental changes:

A) by adopting a wait-and-see approach.
B) slowly and cautiously.
C) at a moderate rate.
D) rapidly.

Question 5

Top-level managers may use _________to ensure the smooth operation at all managerial levels:

A) strategic controls
B) tactical controls
C) operational controls
D) all of the given answers

Question 6

Managers who utilise weekly and monthly reporting cycles and test environmental reactions to tactical initiatives are most likely to be from which management level?

A) upper management
B) control staffs
C) middle management
D) the quality control department

Question 7

For effectiveness, strategic, tactical and operational control levels must clearly be:

A) separated.
B) interrelated.
C) integrated at different times.
D) utilised where possible.

Question 8

Goal incongruence is defined as a condition in which there are major incompatibilities between the goals of:

A) one level of the organisation and those of another level.
B) one unit and those of another unit on the same horizontal level.
C) the strategic and the tactical plans.
D) an organisation member and those of the organisation.

Question 9

Standards that are set in the control process serve a number of major purposes related to employee behaviours. Which statement below is NOT correct?

A) Standards assist staff to understand what is expected.
B) Standards provide opportunities for work evaluation, hence employee effectiveness.
C) Standards reduce the negative effects of goal incongruence.
D) Standards identify how job-related deficiencies may be addressed.

Question 10

After standards are determined, the next step in the control process is to measure performance. This step requires that two important questions be answered. These questions are:

A) What is to be measured and why is it to be measured?
B) Where is it to be measured and how is it to be measured?
C) Who is to measure it and what are they to measure?
D) How is it to be measured and how often do we measure it?

Question 11

The period between measurements in the control process depends on a number of important considerations. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) the importance of the goal to the organisation
B) how quickly the situation is likely to change
C) the difficulty and expense of rectifying a problem if one were to occur
D) the person who is doing the measuring

Question 12

In comparing performance against standards, computer systems are most suited to:

A) strong deviation from standard (SDS).
B) management by exception.
C) concurrent control.
D) step-wise control.

Question 13

Bartol suggests that control is dynamic and that the manager must therefore check standards to ensure that they, and the related performance measures, are still relevant. In doing so, managers may discover that:

A) standards can be reduced slightly.
B) future standards will not require such close scrutiny.
C) there may be unplanned opportunities.
D) none of the given answers.

Question 14

The ______________ approach to controls argues that managers need to consider controls mainly in those areas in which they depend on others for resources necessary to reach organisational goals.

A) concurrent controls
B) resource dependence
C) purchasing and procurement
D) boundary-spanning

Question 15

Four issues are important when determining whether to institute a control process. Which one is NOT correct?

A) assessment of high dependency
B) expected resource-flow will be unacceptable
C) control outcome feasibility
D) cost acceptability

Question 16

Feedforward, concurrent, and feedback controls are based on:

A) operation.
B) timing.
C) individuals.
D) departments.

Question 17

There are a number of inputs that are subject to feedforward control. Which answer below does NOT represent an input in this context?

A) finances
B) time
C) quality measures
D) materials

Question 18

Concurrent controls are those controls which focus primarily on the regulation of:

A) organisational inputs.
B) transformation processes.
C) organisational outputs.
D) organisational feedback.

Question 19

When a software company provides patches for consumers, it does so in response to identified computer program vulnerabilities (e.g. viruses). This company is likely to be using which control?

A) feedback controls
B) feedforward controls
C) clan controls
D) concurrent controls.

Question 20

Feedback controls are those controls which focus primarily on the regulation of:

A) final outputs.
B) production processes.
C) information flows.
D) the quality, quantity and timing of inputs.

Question 21

A manufacturer of lawn mowers used to advertise on television by showing a woman giving one pull to the starting rope. If the mower started, she said 'pass'. If it did not start, the mower went back for rework. This type of test of lawn mowers is a form of:

A) feedback control.
B) concurrent control.
C) clan control.
D) feedforward control.

Question 22

Using a systems view, an organisation's productive cycle can be divided into three stages occurring at different times. The ______control involves regulating ongoing activities as part of the transformation process.

A) feedback
B) cybernetic
C) concurrent
D) bureaucratic

Question 23

Of the three major classifications or types of controls described by the text, the type that is self-regulating (i.e. monitoring the situation and automatically taking corrective action when necessary) is called:

A) timing control.
B) multiple controls.
C) feedforward control.
D) cybernetic control.

Question 24

Regardless of the type of control to be used (e.g. timing, multiple), there are three managerial approaches to how control will be exercised. The three are bureaucratic rules, clan control, and:

A) strategic points control.
B) utilitarian control.
C) tactical control.
D) market control.

Question 25

Market controls are primarily aimed at controlling:

A) behaviours.
B) processes.
C) costs.
D) facilities.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT a market mechanism used in market control?

A) competition in relevant goods
B) competition in services provided
C) the need for goods and services must be clear
D) all of the given answers

Question 27

The basic managerial approach to controls that rely on regulation through such mechanisms as rules, policies, schedules and reward systems is known as:

A) non-cybernetic control.
B) timing control.
C) strategic points control.
D) bureaucratic control.

Question 28

The bureaucratic controls are aimed primarily at controlling:

A) costs.
B) behaviours.
C) attitudes.
D) socialisation into the system.

Question 29

Which of the following answers is NOT correct? Clan controls use ______ to regulate employee behaviour.

A) corporate culture
B) shared norms
C) rules
D) traditions

Question 30

When clan controls are used, there is a greater emphasis on:

A) departments.
B) groups.
C) strategic points.
D) standards.

Question 31

The source control that is associated with bureaucratic control is mainly:

A) external.
B) internal.
C) mutual.
D) all embracing.

Question 32

Of the three basic managerial approaches to controls, generally speaking, the approach that is more conducive to innovation is:

A) bureaucratic control.
B) timing control.
C) market control.
D) clan control.

Question 33

The best managerial approach to control major innovative efforts is a combination of heavy reliance on _____________ control with the use of some carefully considered ______________ controls.

A) bureaucratic / clan
B) clan / market
C) clan / bureaucratic
D) market / bureaucratic

Question 34

Using clan control but with a mix of phased plans and bureaucratic controls at different times is called the:

A) market control system.
B) incrementalist approach.
C) steering control system.
D) strategic control points approach.

Question 35

In using the incrementalist approach to controlling innovative activities in organisations, managers, in the later stages of the innovation process, will more than likely institute:

A) hardly any controls at all.
B) less specific controls than used in earlier stages.
C) nearly a perfect market control system.
D) more concrete controls than at any previous stage, even to the point where some parts of the project may be killed off.

Question 36

'Behavioural displacement', one of the potential dysfunctional aspects of control systems, is defined as a condition in which individuals attempt to improve the appearance of their performance by:

A) manipulating resource usage and/or data rather than by achieving bona fide performance improvements.
B) engaging in behaviours encouraged by controls and related reward systems even though the behaviours . are actually inconsistent with goals.
C) creating delays so as to prevent measurements of performance.
D) attempting to actually undermine the control system itself.

Question 37

One possible dysfunctional reaction to control systems is marked by managers trying to improve their standing on performance measures by manipulating resource usage and/or data rather than by achieving bona fide performance improvements. This type of dysfunctional reaction is referred to as:

A) game playing.
B) operating delays.
C) negative attitudes.
D) behavioural displacement.

Question 38

Managers, in setting up their controls, need to be wary of controlling to the extent that individual job autonomy is limited to such a point that it seriously inhibits effective job performance. This situation is known as:

A) tactical point control.
B) incrementalist growth control.
C) behavioural displacement control.
D) overcontrolling.

Question 39

Control systems that grant autonomy to an employee to such an extent that the organisation loses its ability to direct the individual's efforts toward achieving organisational goals are known as systems of:

A) undercontrolling.
B) game playing.
C) behavioural displacement.
D) tactical point control.

Question 40

With respect to the cost of a particular control system, and the benefits that system provides to the organisation, it is suggested that:

A) costs should not outweigh benefits (i.e. a cost-benefit analysis should be used).
B) costs of control systems are too difficult to measure, so managers can never be certain of this relationship.
C) if the controls need to be there, they should be put in regardless of benefits.
D) control systems always 'pay for themselves', particularly if the controls are accepted by the group.

Question 41

In relation to the accuracy of control systems, the authors suggest that:

A) by their very nature, control systems are accurate.
B) no controls are often better than inaccurate controls.
C) inaccurate controls are usually easy to spot and correct.
D) inaccurate controls are not a big worry as they only report past data and consequently do not affect decision making.

Question 42

Concerning the acceptability of control systems to organisation members, Bartol suggests that:

A) if controls need to be there, they should be put in regardless of how much or little the group accepts them.
B) controls that are not accepted by the group are probably doomed to be ineffective.
C) groups expect to be controlled, so this issue is no big deal.
D) highly-accepted controls might indicate that the controls are not strict enough.

Question 43

Controls can assist managers to avoid a number of problems, and Bartol mentions five challenges. They include coping with uncertainty, detecting irregularities and centralising authority.

Question 44

'Preliminary controls', 'precontrols', and 'steering controls' are all names for cybernetic controls.

Question 45

Despite the growth in the use of computers in organisations, most organisational systems are still non-cybernetic.

Question 46

If the costs of a control process exceed the benefits gained from the controls, the manager could redesign jobs to ensure they are more specialised and therefore require experienced workers.

Question 47

Managers must assess control systems continually to ensure that they get the required results, and to ensure that some aspects do not become dysfunctional. According to Bartol, the four major dysfunctional side effects are behavioural displacement, game playing, operating delays and employee inflexibility.

Question 48

In job design, narrow subtasks and doing, rather than thinking are likely to be characteristics that are associated with clan control.

Question 49

When employees waste company resources by taking equipment or materials, this is most likely to be a manifestation of goal incongruence.

Question 50

Simmons (1995) suggests that there are four major levers for use in effective strategic control. They are belief systems, performance management systems, mission statements and interactive monitoring strategies.

Question 51

What are the five major control roles in organisations?

Question 52

How does the general control process apply to control responsibilities at different management levels?

Question 53

What four principal conditions do managers need to consider when deciding what to control and what are the alternatives to control?

Question 54

How can you explain the major control types and use of multiple controls?

Question 55

How do you differentiate between cybernetic and non-cybernetic control?

Question 56

What are the essential characteristics that differentiate bureaucratic control from clan control?

Question 57

How do managers develop a balance between using strategic control levers and promoting innovation?

Question 58

Not all control systems are positive - what types of dysfunctional effects can occur from control systems? Give an example of each type from the text and your own experience.

Question 59

Check with the text and the internet - what are the implications of overcontrol and undercontrol?