and leaving him free to consider the broader lines of policy and to
study the character and fitness of the important men under him.Management by exception frees the boss to concentrate on the
issues that matter. It gives the subordinate more scope to get on
with his or her work while knowing that events out of the or-
dinary will be reported upwards.
Deciding what constitutes an exception is a useful exercise in
itself. It means selecting the key events and measures which will
show up good, bad or indifferent results and indicate whether or
not performance is going according to plan.
The chosen indicators or ratios can be studied so that the
significance of changes or trends is readily understood. More
important, the possible causes of deviations can be analysed and
kept in mind. Investigations will then be quickly launched in the
right direction and swift remedial action can be taken.
Most of us have come across the boss or manager who seems
to have the almost magic facility for studying a mass of figures
and immediately spotting the one really important deviation or
the item that does not ring true. It sometimes seems to be pure
instinct, but of course it is not. Such managers are practising the
art of management by exception, even if they never call it by that
name. Their experience and analytical powers have told them
what constitutes normal performance. But they can spot some-
thing out of the ordinary at a thousand paces. They knowwhat
the key indicators are and they look for them, hard. This is a skill
that anyone can develop. And the effort of acquiring it is well
worthwhile.
How to Control 45