This article throws light upon the three consequences of resistance to control with measures to overcome it.
Consequences of Resistance to Control:
Resistance to control results in the following:
1. Delay in work:
When employees are not satisfied with the control system, their performance gets reduced. Rather than contributing to organisational goals, they become lethargic and work slowly. This results in delayed operations.
2. Change in attitude:
Improper controls develop negative attitude amongst workers towards their superiors resulting in personal role conflict. This affects attainment of organisational goals.
3. Behavioural displacement:
Excessive controls on quantity rather than quality or means rather than ends result in displaced behaviour of employees. They reflect behaviour different from expected which arises only on account of poor controls.
Behavioural displacement is “a condition in which individuals engage in behaviours that are encouraged by controls and related reward systems even though the behaviours actually are inconsistent with organisational goals.”
Measures to Overcome Resistance to Control:
Resistance to control can be overcome through the following measures:
1. Explain the need for controls:
Employees should understand that controls are not just the means to achieve organisational objectives, they satisfy their needs as well. If employees perform up to the standards, this serves as need satisfying motivators.
2. Change in attitude:
Understanding that control is a positive and not negative activity can change employees’ attitude towards the work environment and superiors. The focus of control should be the right target. Right focus on physical, financial and human resources can change attitude towards controls from negative to positive.
3. Realistic control:
Inadequate or excessive controls (under-control and over-control) affect organisational goals. While under-control gives excessive autonomy to work, over-control restricts the freedom to perform better. Managers should, therefore, exercise realistic controls which optimize employees performance.
4. Reasonable standards:
Over-optimal or sub-optimal standards which are either difficult to achieve or can be achieved easily should be avoided. Standards should be realistic which motivate the employees to perform better.
5. Revaluation of controls:
Control process should be evaluated from time to time. If controls seem to be inappropriate at any point of time, alternate control system should be designed.
6. Focus of attention:
Controls should focus more on the results and outcomes rather than the way these results are achieved. They should focus on improvement of behaviour rather than deviations.
7. Flexible controls:
Controls may not always get desired results from workers. Faulty standards can also cause deviation in performance rather than the performance itself. Managers should, thus, focus on the standards rather than performance. Standards should be subject to change. However, standards should be designed keeping in view the long-term perspective of control system. This avoids frequent changes in control system and, thus, makes it more stable to understand.
8. Participation:
When employees participate in designing the control system, they better understand the standards and self-assess their performance. Such standards are more acceptable to employees. Self-control is the best control.
9. Controls and system of reward:
Rather than penalizing negative deviations, managers should reward employees who report acceptable performance. This will reinforce their behaviour and motivate other employees to achieve the standard performance.
Managers should adopt positive controls rather than negative controls. They should use appreciation and rewards rather than threats and punishments. There should be a strong organisation climate represented by cooperation, teamwork, communication network, coordination and motivation.
10. Range of control:
Howsoever hard workers try to achieve the targets, some amount of deviation in the performance still may occur. Rather than commanding exact conformity to standards, a range of deviations should be allowed. Deviations of ± 5%, for example, may be ignored by managers. The percentage of deviation depends on the nature of product. Costly products (for example, diamonds) have a very small percentage of deviation as range of control.