A hospital wants to control how kindly and patiently its nurses behave with patients. The managers find that they cannot put this behaviour into numbers, so they find it hard to measure it and compare it with any standard.
Which limitation of controlling is shown here?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Difficulty in setting quantitative standards
Option (1) Little control on external factors — Incorrect. This limitation is about outside forces such as government policies, technological changes and competition. The nurses’ behaviour is inside the hospital.
Option (2) Difficulty in setting quantitative standards — Correct. Kindness and patience are part of human behaviour, which cannot be put in numbers. Without a standard in numbers, measuring and comparing performance becomes difficult, and control loses some effectiveness.
Option (3) Costly affair — Incorrect. This limitation is about control needing a lot of expenditure, time and effort. The case says nothing about cost.
Option (4) Resistance from employees — Incorrect. This means employees object to control as a restriction on their freedom. The nurses are not objecting here.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Limitations of Controlling Although controlling is an important function of management, it suffers from the following limitations.” “(i) Difficulty in setting quantitative standards: Control system loses some of its effectiveness when standards cannot be defined in…”
“(ii) Little control on external factors: Generally an enterprise cannot control external factors such as government policies, technological changes, competition etc.” “(iv) Costly affair: Control is a costly affair as it involves a lot of expenditure, time and effort. A small enterprise cannot afford to install an expensive control system. It cannot justify the expenses involved. …” |
