Final answer:
The management function that involves monitoring activities to ensure that goals are met is known as controlling. Managers must balance the need for detailed monitoring with the sustainability of the program, adjusting methods to effectively manage resources and achieve organizational targets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The management function which involves monitoring activities to ensure that targets are being met is called controlling.
Controlling consists of verifying whether everything occurs in conformities with the plans adopted, instructions issued, and principles established. Managers are responsible for monitoring their team's work and performance to ensure that organizational goals and targets are met. For instance, a manager in charge of a community wildlife management program, like the Kaa Iya Del Gran Chaco in Bolivia, must ensure that the program's activities lead to sustainable wildlife conservation and efficient resource use by adapting proper monitoring techniques.
A balance needs to be found between scientific rigor and program sustainability as overly simplistic or overly intensive monitoring schemes might fail to provide valuable insights or cannot be sustained long enough to be effective. Therefore, managers and local stakeholders usually engage in an ongoing dialogue to strike this balance, taking into account the accountability for results and efficient resource utilization.