33 Questions
What is the key management function that organizational control addresses?
Performance evaluation and improvement
Which method of control addresses the four steps in the control process through measures of financial and non-financial performance?
Balanced scorecard
What is the primary focus of Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques such as quality circles, benchmarking, Six Sigma principles, and continuous improvement?
Improving product and service quality
Which management control technique involves detailed plans of future income and expenses typically for a year?
Expense budget
What is the attitude of continuous improvement?
Belief that productivity can always get better
What does a score of 3 indicate in terms of personal responsibility for improving activities?
Preference for stable and efficient work
What caused one of the worst public health drug disasters in U.S. history?
Contamination of NECC's clean rooms
What is a serious responsibility of managerial control?
Monitoring employees' behavior and the organization's performance and finances
What is the third step in the control process according to the text?
Comparing actual activities to standards
Which type of control helps managers make necessary adjustments in work activities or standards?
Feedback control
What do pharmaceutical firms establish standards for, according to the text?
Measuring research activities and results
What do managers focus on to identify urgent problems and their causes, according to the text?
Variances
What is the main focus of organizational control?
Regulating activities to align with established plans, targets, and performance standards
What is a key challenge in ensuring effective organizational control?
Obtaining essential information and responding to it
What is the purpose of hospitals implementing pay-for-performance systems?
To improve patient care by monitoring and controlling the health care services
What does California offer training programs for in the construction industry?
To improve organizational control and comply with regulations to prevent pollutants from entering the water supply
What is the purpose of knowledge workload tracking technology mentioned in the text?
To measure computer usage and improve productivity
What did the Google engineer Bob Evans use an app for?
To understand the relationship between attention and productivity
What is the purpose of auto-analytics tools mentioned in the text?
To provide evidence to adjust time usage and nurture minds and bodies for success
What does the feedback control model help managers do?
Monitor and regulate activities and determine if performance meets standards
Organizations prepare formal reports of qualitative performance measurements
False
Regular review of performance reports helps managers understand organizational performance
True
Managers focus on variances to identify urgent problems and their causes
True
Feedback control helps managers make necessary adjustments in work activities or standards
True
Effective management control involves subjective judgment and objective analysis
True
The third step in the control process involves comparing actual activities to standards
True
Pharmaceutical firms establish standards to measure research activities and results
True
Managing performance and control in organizations does not require clear standards reflecting organizational strategy
False
Grady Memorial Hospital measures patient satisfaction based on government-mandated surveys
True
Standards should be defined vaguely and imprecisely for employee understanding
False
Explain the importance of clear and precise standards in organizational control according to the text.
Clear and precise standards are important in organizational control as they provide employees with a clear understanding of expectations and facilitate effective evaluation of performance.
How do managers use performance reports to identify urgent problems and their causes?
Managers focus on variances between actual activities and standards in performance reports to identify urgent problems and their causes.
What is the role of feedback control in organizational management?
Feedback control helps managers make necessary adjustments in work activities or standards to improve organizational performance.
Study Notes
Tracking Work Performance and Health with Technology
- Knowledge workload tracking technology measures computer usage, such as time spent on open windows, window switching, and idle time, to improve productivity.
- A computer programmer found that online chatting with colleagues improved his productivity after analyzing time spent chatting and coding.
- Tracking tools for cognitive tasks, such as client research and statistical analysis, help gather data for performance improvement.
- Google engineer Bob Evans used an app to understand the relationship between attention and productivity, finding he needs uninterrupted time for challenging tasks.
- Physical health, including exercise, sleep, and stress levels, affects productivity, creativity, and job performance.
- Mobile apps and wearable sensors collect data on physical health, with many people tracking steps to encourage consistent success.
- Auto-analytics tools are becoming more sophisticated and provide evidence to adjust time usage and nurture minds and bodies for success.
- Organizational control is the systematic process of regulating activities to meet planned goals and standards.
- Whole Foods Market faced control issues when adding prepared foods to its product mix, related to its food processing plants.
- Organizations measure and control performance using quantitative financial measures.
- Feedback control model helps managers monitor and regulate activities and determine if performance meets standards.
- The four steps of feedback control include establishing standards, measuring performance, comparing to standards, and making corrections as necessary.
Managing Performance and Control in Organizations
- Managers need clear standards reflecting organizational strategy
- Standards should be defined clearly and precisely for employee understanding
- Organizations prepare formal reports of quantitative performance measurements
- Reports should be related to set standards for effective evaluation
- For example, sales growth targets require accurate sales data reporting
- Pharmaceutical firms establish standards to measure research activities and results
- Regular review of performance reports helps managers understand organizational performance
- Grady Memorial Hospital measures patient satisfaction based on government-mandated surveys
- The third step in the control process involves comparing actual activities to standards
- Managers focus on variances to identify urgent problems and their causes
- Effective management control involves subjective judgment and objective analysis
- Feedback control helps managers make necessary adjustments in work activities or standards
Managing Performance and Control in Organizations
- Managers need clear standards reflecting organizational strategy
- Standards should be defined clearly and precisely for employee understanding
- Organizations prepare formal reports of quantitative performance measurements
- Reports should be related to set standards for effective evaluation
- For example, sales growth targets require accurate sales data reporting
- Pharmaceutical firms establish standards to measure research activities and results
- Regular review of performance reports helps managers understand organizational performance
- Grady Memorial Hospital measures patient satisfaction based on government-mandated surveys
- The third step in the control process involves comparing actual activities to standards
- Managers focus on variances to identify urgent problems and their causes
- Effective management control involves subjective judgment and objective analysis
- Feedback control helps managers make necessary adjustments in work activities or standards
Test your knowledge of how technology is used to track work performance and health, from computer usage tracking to physical health data collection. Learn about the impact of tracking tools on productivity, performance improvement, and organizational control.
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