Question

“If you try to control everything you may end up controlling nothing”. Explain.

Answer 1

“If you try to control everything, you may end up controlling nothing,” goes a popular saying. As a result, focussing on extraordinary deviations is preferable to attempting to regulate every divergence from the norm. For example, if just five employees out of 100 are not meeting the standards, then efforts should be directed towards helping these five individuals perform better. Applying the identical policies to all 100 employees would be a complete waste of time, money, and effort. Instead of regulating every activity, management should focus on the exceptions. This is referred to as control by exception or management by exception. Time, money, and effort are all saved. For instance, if the actual output is 5% lower than the standard output, management may determine that no remedial action is required.