Abstract:

Problem:
What should be the content of an educational program for managers and how to teach them in order they can manage efficiently? One of the answers to these questions is to teach them how to control their own activity. One has to understand the mechanism of an internal activity control to be able to elaborate such educational programs. Our researches showed that a manager uses a set of subjective criteria when judging if his/her actions are correct. One part of these criteria is conditioned by professional activity standards and organizational standards, other part is associated with the manager’s professional experience and personality. How should these parts be interrelated in the manager’s subjective perception, in order for their managerial activity to be successful? To which degree can an organization determine content and structure of the subjective control criteria system? How one should organize educational programs for managers in order they be able to elaborate control criteria adequate for their activity in accordance with the company’s requirements and for the achievement of its targets? We believe that these issues are an important aspect of the problem of professional education of a manager aimed at improving his/her professional competence.

Objective:
The study shows at identifying key organizational factors that determine formation of subjective control criteria system. It is important to define the groups of factors that are primarily seen by managers as significant points which set the content and structure of an individual control criteria system. It is also deemed important to discover how manager’s orientations as to which work requirements are crucial and what the resources when carrying out the work should be used for primarily correlate with the requirements of an organization and the resources it provides.

Design/Methodology:
Russian top- and middle-level managers of state and private companies in different spheres of business participate in this study. The study’s conceptual framework is The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), the author’s Model of Subjective Activity Control Criteria System (Mirolyubova &Ismagilova, 2014). Managers were provided with a list of organizational factors that can determine the content and structure of an individual control criteria system. As part of the study we tested a hypothesis of a connection between the choice of an organizational factor and such criteria characteristics as measurability / low measurability, absoluteness / relativity and explicitness / implicitness.

Results:
We have revealed statistic differences between representativity of measurable and low measurable control criteria in the general structure of criteria used by managers to control their professional activity. There are recommendations how to use the conclusions of the research in order to elaborate educational programs.

Research/Practical Implications:
The results of the study can be used in the life-long learning programs for managers, first of all for those with managerial experience. Learning methods developed with consideration of the study can help managers to overcome the restrictions of a professional experience, give them a possibility to react faster and more adequately to changes and difficulties when making managerial decisions. The study gives an approach to elaborating educational programs in this direction.

Keywords:

Job control, Subjective Criteria.