How Five control methods can be used at retail stores to prevent theft?
The five control methods include self-control, objective, normative, bureaucratic, and conservative control (Prasad, 2020). Bureaucratic control is a kind of control in which the manager or supervisors strives to manage the behavior of employees for the good of the organization by punishing or rewarding employees, depending upon their behavior and/or performance. This method of control is mostly used in government departments as policy compliance is very important in government departments. In an organization like Kmart, Costco, or Walmart, employee theft can be controlled by setting strict rules i.e. punishing anyone who tries to steal or misuses company assets.
The second method of control is objective control which can be further divided into output control and behavior control. Behavior control works on the assumption that if an employee showcases the right behavior every day then it will result in the achievement of the goal (Prasad, 2020). The output control on the other hand focuses on measuring the results and rewards and punishment is given accordingly. Employee theft can be prevented using this control method by carefully observing the behavior of employees.
Another control method is that of normative control in which the managers use the values and beliefs of the employee, and shape them as per the company’s requirements. Employee theft can be prevented in organizations like Kmart and Walmart by hiring people who are honest and have a positive attitude towards work. On contrary to normative control, managers utilizing the conservative method of control, give workgroups complete autonomy and accountability for the completion of the project. These workgroups control their work processes, schedule, discipline, hiring, etc (Williams, McWilliams & Lawrence, 2014). Employee theft can be prevented by the management using the conservative method of control by giving complete authority to workgroups to monitor each employee and take initiatives to protect company assets. The fifth control method is self-control in which employees and managers are supposed to control their own behavior. In this method, employees get to do whatever they want, making sure that they do not cross the boundaries set by the leaders. Self-control would be the most ineffective method to control employee theft as employees are free to do what they want, however, employees do monitor individual performance which may prevent theft.
