Summary This paper examines the control process and the importance of teamwork. The control process consists of three steps: measurement, comparison and action. A company’s performance must be measured, using a tool that looks at important variables which help to show where the company is in terms of performance. The data obtained from measuring is then compared to the standard. If the data shows that the company is not meeting the standard, action is required: either, the company must adopt a change to address the lack or it must change the standard. If the data shows that the standard is being met, no change is needed. In terms of teamwork, companies can benefit from teamwork but challenges are also an issue. One type of challenge is multigenerational challenges, where individuals do not shared the same sense of ideals, communication practices, ethics, or attitudes. This can be overcome by adopting the social psychological theory of teamwork which holds that values such as respect, trust and cultural promotion of positivity all play a part in building and strengthening relationships so that a team can embrace accountability as a whole unit. One good example of this theory in practice is Herb Kelleher’s Southwest Airlines.

Part 1

Q1: What are the three steps of the control process? (Give an example for each one.)

A1:

The three steps of the control process are 1) measurement, 2) comparison, and 3) action. The first step allows a company to measure its performance. Measuring requires have a method for obtaining data. One method that is popular in the business world is the Six Sigma method, which enables a company to evaluate itself across six defined variables. Each variable helps the company’s leaders to see where the business is in terms of various...

Having a measurement tool like Six Sigma is essential for knowing exactly where your company is. But of course, as the text notes, “What managers measure is probably more important to the control process than how they measure” (“Controlling,” n.d., p. 3). As Harry (1998) points out, Six Sigma is a good tool for measuring variation and determining where issues that need addressing are located.
Once this data is obtained, it is time for the second step—comparing. The data obtained through the measuring process is made meaningful through the comparing process: i.e., the data is compared to the industry or company standard or to a competitor—or to whatever the firm wants to be equal to. In other words, actual performance is compared to the standard, goal or ideal. If for instance, a pizza company discovers after measuring performance that it is only selling 12 pizzas per day it will find that, when comparing it to the standard of the past, which is 24 pizzas per day, it is far short of the standard. This finding leads to the third step—action. The pizza company will have to take action to get its performance up or else revise its standard. On the other hand, if the pizza company found that it was selling 36 pizzas per day, far exceeding the standard, it could resolve to take no action.