Monitoring and Control

Nowadays businesses have been identified to thrive through the advancement of their operational management practices. This topic of study has been widely acknowledged because of its critical analysis of industrial and business operations in order to depict inefficiencies that would deter profit optimization or efficiency. As a result there emanates the need to analyze the two pertinent terms that add up to functionalize management activates. To begin with the term monitoring, it can be defined as a continuous process that involves supervising business activities or operations to ascertain their progress so as to ensure that they are in line with the organizational goals, objectives and targets. According to Juttner, (2012) monitoring is a routine and systematic process involving the collection of relevant information regarding programs and projects because of the following reasons.

First, it is believed that monitoring enables an operational manager to draw lessons from the past hence facilitating learning which provides experiences that could trigger operations improvement in future. Second, monitoring could be for accountability purposes whereby both the internal and external resources used by a firm are accounted for. Third, it guides decision making. Monitoring begins at the planning stages of a program or a project and occurs periodically until the completion of the project. It allows documentation of experiences, processes and decisions which can then be used to direct decision making as well as guide the learning process. Monitoring can also be termed as the act of checking organizational or programs progress alongside plans. The empirical data obtained after a successful monitoring process is then used to initiate control. Controlling is a managerial function that compliments the other four functions undertaken by managers such as organizing, planning, directing and staffing. Controlling is important to the management of projects, programs and organizational operations because it enables identification of errors after which an organization can identify and take corrective measures to minimize deviations from the actual plans, goals and objectives. Modern operational management literature has associated controlling with the setting of standards, determining performance and undertaking counteractive or preventive measures (Robert, 2007).

The reason for conducting a research that integrates monitoring and control is driven by academic curiosity aimed at establishing these intricate terms and connecting them to management of operations. Out of the academic curiosity there arises the need to internalize the basics of conceptual and contemporary approaches that will guide supply chain management, yield management, marketing, financing and balanced scorecards. Comparing the definitions illustrated above, there is much information exemplifying the need for controlling than that postulating monitoring. For instance, Henri Fayol was the first to formulate a possible definition for control with regard to management in the year 1916 (Juttner, 2012). He defined it as an undertaking involving streamlining operations in an organization to be in line with the plans set by the management. Fayol supports that monitoring is a prerequisite to controlling which then identifies mistakes and possible ways to rectify them and set in place measures to prevent further reoccurrence of such mishaps.

Harold Koontz describes the correlation between monitoring and controlling as a measurement aimed at correcting diminishing performances as a way of attaining objectives and plans for the enterprise. Stafford Beer devises a different perspective towards monitoring and controlling by generalizing it as a management function. Robert Mockler comprehensively defines monitoring and control as a systematic effort involving comparing current organizational performance to predetermined plans (Juttner, 2012). The bottom-line for monitoring is identifying errors made during the implementation of business plans while controlling makes attempts to rectify indicators of deviations in such a way that it enables an organization to take remedial actions in order to properly utilize resources and achieve objectives of the organization as a whole. These several definitions identified above add up to supporting the previous definition for both monitoring and control thus despite the various descriptions, monitoring and controlling are management processes that are intended to streamline business operations.

This article collectively illustrates the theoretic and conceptual approaches to monitoring and controlling from an organizational point of view. Apart from the terms being relevant to achieving the desired results while conducting projects and programs, the two terms are more relevant in determining the success of any business venture. First, monitoring describes the need for follow up activities that are conducted by supervisors. The main purpose for monitoring is to ensure that the documented organizational procedures for conducting certain activities are properly managed and implemented by the various personnel to whom the task have been allocated. Thus the supervisor has to have a deeper understanding of the industrial objectives so as to correlate them with the required performance by the personnel. Likewise, the management through the operations manager needs to undertake monitoring activities to establish that the organizational objectives are being achieving.

The activities of monitoring then usher in corrective measures undertaken by the relevant stakeholder to ensure that the organization does not incur losses resulting from unplanned expenditure resulting from underperforming personnel or improprieties resulting from unmonitored business activities. As a result modern organizations have invested into automated monitoring systems to back up physical monitoring. In some instance, automated monitoring is preferred to physical monitoring practices as a way of reducing expenditure and increasing accountability among employees (Stevenson, 2005). Nowadays organizations are increasingly monitoring operations by installing automated surveillance cameras or videos to monitor staff at various stages of production. Furthermore, monitoring can be exercised by observing and analyzing books of counts through audits. Analyzing financial reports, balance sheets and statements of accounts is the best way to monitor financial expenditures as well as cash inflows and outflows in any organization. It is after the exact figures are ascertained that the management can then establish various control mechanisms including adjusting of the targets so as to cover for shortfalls. Apparently controlling involves such activities as rewarding and motivating employees as a way of encouraging them or castigating underperformance exemplified by some employees.

Biblical standards have in many instances, directly challenged existing social systems. One area that has not been left out of this is the area of management and leadership (Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). Secular society’s idea of management is largely based on the heightened level of entitlement that one gets as a result of holding such a position. This perspective basically likens management and leadership to the position of a master who is served by his or her subordinates. The Bible, on the contrary, reversed the organizational understanding of management by emphasizing on the form of management recommended by Jesus Christ. Jesus practiced management of his twelve disciples using leadership which has today come to be known as servant leadership. In servant leadership, those who have been placed in leadership positions carry out their servant duty by working for those they lead, thus making self-exertion a defining characteristic of a leader. Some leadership sources, including Greenleaf, have focused on a man-centered approach to servant leadership (Boone & Makhani, 2012). True servant leadership, however, must be centered on God and follow the example set by Jesus.

Integrating these biblical concepts to the case scenario of managing operations in an organization, it is advisable that servant leadership is practices. This can be facilitated by an operations manager who works hand in hand with the employees. By so doing, monitoring and controlling activities will not be a mirage but a reality. The indulgence between an employee and the employer has proved to provide a suitable environment for sharing ideas which can then guide management decision making (Finch, 2007). This is because the manager or employer will have a deeper insight of operations in addition to monitoring performance and establishing measures to control business operations. From these illustrations there is evidence that monitoring and controlling are vital to managing operations in a firm. Whereas some organizations might not put utmost attention on controlling the input of production, research has proved that managers who invest their time in monitoring and controlling essential factors of production and resources have higher chances of succeeding. Moreover startup businesses especially sole proprietorships or partnerships where monitoring and controlling are conducted as real time activities have 70% chances of success as compared to those without elaborate guide towards monitoring employees and staff (Jack, 2009). It therefore becomes mandatory that organizations not only focus on monitoring and control but also integrate lessons from the bible and leadership stipulated by Jesus Christ in addition to the other four functions of management which are organizing, planning, directing and staffing.

References: Annotated Bibliography

Blanchard, K. & Hodges, P. (2005). Lead like Jesus: Lessons from the greatest leadership role model of all time. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

The authors Blanchard and Hodges are exemplary in their definition of great leadership. Their measure of leadership is weighted against great leadership models applicable both to Christianity and secular organizations.

Boone, L. W. & Makhani, S. (2012). Five necessary attitudes of a servant leader. Review of Business, 33(1), 83-96. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu: 2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=86286635&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Boone presents a life changing perspective towards a style of leadership that entails transformation of secular leadership to facilitate monitoring and control. The article further presents a general view on management of businesses which is helpful in defining control.

Finch, K. P. (2007). The image of God, servant-leadership and forgiveness. The International Journal of Servant Leadership, 3(1), 203-205. Retrieved from http://www.spearscenter.org/docs2010/InternationalJournalofServantLeadership2007.pdf

Finch provides an illustration of biblical leadership exemplified by Jesus Christ in the bible. The PDF provides a deeper insight into servant leadership which is applicable to modern management.

Jack, R. M. (2009). Operations Management for MBAS (5^th Ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons.

Operations management for MBAS as written by Jack is the main course book for operations management. It instills the learner with knowledge on handling management functions especially monitoring and controlling.

Juttner, U. (2012). Supply chain risk management: outlining an agenda for future research”, in Griffiths, J., Hewitt, F. and Ireland, P. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Logistics Research Network 7^th Annual Conference, pp. 443-50.

Juttner illustrates monitoring and controlling using illustrations from supply chain management. It is from his research that various aspects relating to the definitions of monitoring and control are applied and as such they become applicable to this paper.

Robert J. M. (2007). Readings in Management Control (3^rd Ed.) New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. pp. 14–17.

Robert is a management expert specialized in writing literature on management thus his book is a well written article that knits together the essential components regarding automation of monitoring systems.

Stevenson, W. (2005). Production operations management. Irwin Press: Boston.

Productions operations management is resourceful in its presentation of organizational monitoring activities with relation to financial operations and employee performances.