Final answer:
Segregation of duties is a key internal control that prevents errors and fraud by dividing responsibilities among employees, but it can also lead to inefficiency or bottlenecks. Strengths-based management focuses on using individual talents for organizational success, but may lead to neglecting weaknesses and overusing strengths.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evaluating the segregation of duties within an organization reveals whether this practice is a strength or weakness in terms of internal controls. Segregation of duties is a key internal control mechanism that helps prevent fraud and errors. This is because it involves dividing tasks and responsibilities among different employees to ensure that no single individual has too much control over any one process.
As a strength, segregation of duties can significantly reduce the risk of errors and fraud by providing checks and balances within an organization's processes. It also helps in identifying problems quickly when they do occur. However, it can be viewed as a limitation if there is an over-reliance on this control, which may lead to inefficiency or if the organization lacks enough qualified personnel to effectively separate these duties without creating bottlenecks.
Reflecting on strengths-based management, an approach identified by Donald Clifton, we see the emphasis on leveraging an individual's enduring talents for organizational benefit. The strength of this approach is that it maximizes an individual's potential to contribute to the organization's success by focusing on what they do best. Nonetheless, a possible downside is that it might lead to the neglect of improving weaknesses or the overuse of strengths, as reported by Kaiser & Overfield (2011), potentially stifling overall professional development or adaptability.