Human Resource Control

The success of any organization lies on utilizing right people at the right place on right time. The performance measurement of individual person in the organization is very difficult task to be carried out. It’s pretty hard to tell whether one person is performing well or another. Likewise, it is also difficult to watch each and every activity of the individual. Every one has unique character and has unique performance. It is hard to find the unique feature of the individual.  Hence, it’s hard to find different human control mechanism for individual personality in the organization. For further see: Managing Quality and Human Resources: A Guide to Continuous Improvement

Techniques of Control

·         Planning Control: Planning is vital in any activity. Control mechanism should be incorporated in human resource planning. Proper clarification should be made in responsibilities for implementation and control, method of control in term of process includes hire, education and development and retires. Human resource can be controlled as per the need of the organization if planned tactfully. There may be ad-hoc decision or binding rules or law to guide the control mechanism. There may not be such rules and leader or managers may have to control by there leadership skill or by their commanding capacity. It one has best system to hire or recruit the staff, control of human resource will be easier and vise versa. Further study see: Culture and accountability in organizations: Variations in forms of social control across cultures [An article from: Human Resource Management Review
·     Performance Management System: Similarly, another importance factor is existence of performance management system in the organization. Reward and punishment is the another best practice to control human resource. But this can be better option only when performance measuring mechanism is impartial and fair.

·         Industrial Bargaining: Employee relationship, industrial bargaining and informal relationship between employees and managers can play vital role in human resource control through mutual understanding and shared goals.

·         Chain of Command and Setting Reporting Channels: Establishing proper reporting channels and procedure within the organization is the most widely used method of human resource control. Regular briefing, circulation and daily reporting system can be effective channel in a small organization.

·        Goal setting: Goal setting for the organization and for individual is another tool to control human resource and get optimum return from the employees. Organization has to help individual achieve their organizational goals and consequently invisible relationship will help organization to control human resource.

·         Managing Line Business Separately: Organization has to do various line functions for which different type of people are working. Single mechanism to control human resource in the organization may not be effective, so different mechanisms are required. Organization has to apply different control mechanism for the people working in production need different mechanism for the people working in sales.

·         Increasing attachment and Loyalty:  Employees participation in decision making and value sharing helps increasing attachment and loyalty.

·         Decentralization and devolution of power: Responsibility sharing and power devolution help line agencies feel that they are independent to act as per the need of function.

·         Developing Indicator:  Organization must develop some key indicators which can facilitate controlling human resources in the organization. This will help organization measure the result having the clear view of what is going to happen in organization and how it will steam. Such indicators may be reward, punishment etc.  

Some key issues in Human resource control

• Commitment versus Control: In Present days, for addressing human welfare and human right issue, emphasis is given to the need to move from a “control strategy” to a “commitment strategy”, which increases attachment and loyalty by such means as developing shared goals and reducing the tightness of management control. (Walton 1985) The concept of commitment is another defining characteristic of human resource control.
• Freedom versus Control: line managers want the freedom to get things done in their own way, interpreting company policies to meet their needs. The thrust for devolution of responsibility for the betterment of the organization encourages such feelings to bust the moral. Issues come with the concern of proper degree of compliance to job and working environment. There is low level of need of control mechanism and low chances of conflict in the organization when line managers and employees are provide with the higher responsibility and authority. There is high chance of conflict when authority is used rigidly. For further see: Health Manpower Planning 4: Methods and Strategies for the Maintenance of Standards and for Cost Control (v. 4)
• Facilitation versus Control: Industrial bargaining and individual attachment are related to terms and conditions such as hours of work, holidays and employee benefits. The provision of better incentive system will defiantly increase attachment of the employees to the organization. Higher the facilitation decreases the need of rigid control mechanism. Lack of commitment by line managers to performing their roles and achieving the right balance creates havoc. For further study see: Total Quality Management in Human Service Organizations (SAGE Human Services Guides)