Introduction
The Wood Makers production company has recently released a new line of baseball bats that are
produced in a new factory in Maryland. To date the company has missed their shipping quota for the last
six months. In order to increase the production at the new plant management would like to use control
theory to increase production. They have tasked their floor supervisors with setting a goal (the referent
standard) and making sure that each and every employee is aware of this. The floor supervisor has
decided to place a billboard on the floor of the factory so that every employee can see the goal and know
how far they have to go to reach the quota for the week. The floor supervisor will also give a weekly
readout to each employee stating what their individual productivity has been so they can see where they
need to improve.
Elements
Using the control theory model here are the main components of the feedback loop
Sensor - employee checks the billboard (perpetual signal) every day to see how many products they have
produced that week, they also receive their weekly productivity report from their supervisor so they know
their individual productivity output. This sets the loop in motion
Comparator - employee compares how many products have been produced versus the referent standard,
the benchmark that management has set
Effector - If the comparator detects that it is below the referent standard an error signal is produced
motivating the employee to work on producing more products
Retirement - This is reached when the comparator sees that the output has matched the referent standard
Closed loop system- This would be a closed loop system meaning that the output of the employees’
production would constantly be compared to the benchmark and productivity would be adjusted
accordingly. Rather than just being off and on (open loop system) the floor manager is constantly
adjusting the output so that he can ensure that the referent standard is met.
Analysis
The Wood Makers production company recently set a referent standard of 100 baseball bats to be shipped
each month. Bill, an employee, checks the billboard every morning to see how many bats have been
produced and shipped so far. At this point, a comparison is made between the referent standard and the
current shipped total. If the shipped amount is behind the referent standard, Bill will be motivated to
produce more. However, if the goal is met, Bill will be happy and continue the same level of work
performance.
FEED BACK LOOP
Sensor
Comparator
Effector
Retirement
EMPLOYEE ACTION
Bill checks the billboard each week.
Bill compares the total shipped with company goal
If Bill notices that production is not met…he works harder
Company goal is met and bill is happy and continues current
work performance
Conclusion
Reaching this point, there should be some understanding of how the control theory essentially presents a
framework for analyzing work motivation in organizational settings (Klein, 1989). As such, the control
theory analysis individual and situational characteristics, as well as behaviors and attributions, that may
affect the expectancy of reaching organizational goals (Klein, 1989). This theory allows leaders to reflect
on behaviors and decision-making strategies, which will guide leadership in developing achievable plans,
directives and expectations towards reaching organizational goals. Moreover, the control theory asserts
that behavior can be viewed as both a closed-and open-feedback loop system; in which leadership can
analysis between system elements (i.e. Referent Standard, Senor, Comparator and Effector), and
compare/adjust those feedbacks to the expectations of the organizational goals (Klein, 1989).
In our scenario, The Wood Makers Production Company was not producing numbers in accordance with
the company’s expected goals. Therefore, the company’s leadership (line supervisors) had to identify
what situational characteristics were causing the low expectancy, and then utilize the control theory to
improve upon creating more of a closed-feedback loop system. By doing this, the line supervisors
implemented a billboard, Sensor (Perceptual Signal), to ensure employees can monitor current feedback
and goal status. As a result, this monitoring mechanism (Sensor) adjusted the employees’ behaviors to
reach the company’s goal (Referent Standard). Without this added Sensor to the feedback loop,
employees may have question the probability of attaining the company’s goal, which could have
ultimately affected the employee behaviors, motivation, and performances in reaching the company’s goal
(PSU, 2013). Although, the concepts of the control theory derived from a mechanical approach, our
scenario demonstrates how the control theory provides some insight into achieving organizational
stability, by analyzing changes/adjustments of behavior in a closed-feedback loop system.
References:
Klein, H. J. 1989. An integrated control theory model of work motivation. Academy of Management
Review, 14: 150-172.
World Campus, PSU (2013). Lesson 9: Control Theory: How do I regulate my behavior? pp. 1-9.