Coordination - The

Chapter Essence of Management

3

CHAPTER OUTLINE

3.1 Meaning and Definition of Coordination

3.2 Nature and Characteristics of Coordination
3.3 Coordination vs. Cooperation
3.4 Need for Coordination
3.5 Advantages of Coordination
3.6 Types of Coordination
3.7 Principies of Coordination
3.8 Techniques or Mechanisms of Coordination
3.9 Why Coordination is the Essence of Management?

3.1 MEANING AND DEFINITION OF COORDINATION

Coordination implies an orderly pattern or arrangement of group efforts to ensure unity of
action in the pursuit of common objectives. It is the task of reconcilingdifferences ín interest
or approach in order to maximise contribution towards the accomplishment of common goals.
According to Henry Fayol, "to coordinate is to harmonise all the activities of aconcern so as
to facilitate its working and íts success. Itistoaccord thíngs and actions their rightful proportions
and to adapt means to ends. In a well-coordinated enterprise, each department or division
works in harmony with others, and is fully informed of its role in the organisation. The working
schedules of various departments are constantly attuned to circumstances". The purpose of
cOordination is to secure harnony of action or team-work and concurrence of purpose.
 inH

3.2 Management: Principles and Applications

According to E.FL. Brech.toordination is balancing and kecping togcther the (cam byy ensurinp
a suitable allocationof tasks to the various members, and sceing that the tasks are performed
with due harvmonyamogg the members themseclves"|Coodination deals with synchronising
and unifying the actions of a group of people. "A Coordinated opcration is one in which the
activities of the employees are harmonious, dovetailed and integrated towards a common
objective"! Accordingto MeFarland, "Coordiuation is the process whererby an executive
deyelops (an orderly pattern ofgroup efforts kinong his subordinaes, and secures vnity
of actionin the p'Sui of common purpose". In the words of Haimann, "coordination ie
the orderly synchronizitg of effortsof the subordinates to provide the proper amount, timing
and quality of execution so that their unified efforts lead to the stated objective namely the
common purpose of the enterprise".
3.2 NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF COORDINATION
The foregoing description reveals the folowing features of coordination:
(a) Coordination is not a distinct function but the very essence of management.
(b) Coordination is the basic responsibilityof every manager and it can be achieved through
the managerial functions. No manager can eyadeor avoid this responsibility. Coordination
is essential whenever people work together to achieve some common objective.
(c) Coordination docs not aise kpontaneouslyor by force. It is theresultof conscious and
concerted action by management.
(a) The heart ofcoordination is theugity of efforandlactionwhich involves fxing the time)
andynanner of performing various activitiessó that individual efforts are blended intoa
productiveteam,
(e) Coordination is a continuous, never ending or on-going
process. It is also a dynamic
process. Some amount ofcoordination exists in every organisationthough it may not be
adequate.
() Coordination is required inlgroup effort nothin individual effort. It
involves the orderly
arrangement of group efforts. There is no need for coordination when an Individual
works in isolation without affecting anyone's functioning. Coordination
when people form organisations, becomes essential
(g) The object of coordination is to end unity of purpgst, to group
requires an understanding of çommon purpose
by
efforts. Unity of eftort
all the members of the group.
(h) Coordination has acommon purposeofegetting orgarnisational objectives accomplished.
(6 Balancing) iming,and integratingare thqthree clementspf caordination. Balancing is
ensuring that enough of one thing 1s available ösupport or çounter-balance the other. It
1. W.H. Newman: Adinistrative Action, p. 403.
2. D.E. McFarland: Management Principles and Practice, p. 379.
3. Theo Haimann: Professional Management, p. 27.
('oordination - The Essence of Management 3.3
imolies crcating a balancc betwcen the resources of different
individuals. Timing mcans bringing togelhcr dilerent activities underdepartments and
a common time
schedule so th¡ they support and reinforce cach other. Integrating
of diverse interests under the common purposc. involves unifhcatíon
3.3 COORDINATION VS. COOPERATION
Coordination should not be confused with cooperation
different meanings, Cooperation rçfcIS_to the colectivebecause theoftwo terms denote quite
wnluntarily to achicve speçificd objectives. It indicates cfforts people who associate
hclo cach other. It is the result of voluntary merely the willingness of individuals to
morc inclusive, requiring more than the attitudes of a group of people. Coordination is much
It involves adeliberate and desire and willingness to cooperate of the
in order to provide unity of conscious effort to bring together the
activities of participants.
various
concerted action. It is muchaction.
It requires
concurrence of individuals
purpose,
reconciliation of harmony effort and
more than mere of
friction.
Cooperation provides the foundation for differences or avoidance of
Cooperation facilitates coordination but by itselfitcoordination
does not arise cannot
by enlisting voluntarily efforts.
automatically
through conscious from the voluntary efforts ofguarantee cooperation. Coordination
and people, rather it
deliberate efforts of the manager. For has to be achieved
who attempt to move aheavy instance, a group of six persons
are fuly aware of their object are willing and eager to cooperate
cannot be successful in common purpose and trying their best to with one another. They
give proper directions totheir attempt unless one of them move the object. But they
right place and at the rightall members of the group to applycoordinates
the right
their efforts. He must
time. Cooperation is a
coordination. necessary but not aamount of effort, at the
sufficient condition of
According to McFarland,
cogperat ion. Cooperat
SeTVe asasatisfactory io "Coordination
n, that is
is afar more
rmere willingness of inclusive tern embracing the idea of
voluntary atitudes onthesubstitute for
coordination. individuals to help each
part of people in an Cooperation fer the most other. canngt
is
coordinauon, b°t canngt
substiute for organisation. Cooperation is parttheresult of
proguced by anumber of it.""CoordinCoordi
ation, nationon the other valuable element in
excutive brings cooperating
o direction about through deliberatepersons.
hand,
is a state (annot þe
of affairsvofkntarily
elements action on his which an
Jy arranged at theproperwhereas coordination is the part". Cooperation hasínoime,
much Tnorethan
cooperation.
time through
deliberateconcerted effort of requisite quantity
executive action.Thus quantity andis
3.4 NEED
FOR çoordination
Common
MCessar y
C0ORDINATION
Coordinati0bjon eisctSivrequired
es. whenever
It isthe
basic
and wherever a
group of persons work
1. because of the
follo wi ng cementing force in an together to achieve
Iofncrease in sizeis andI complexiditysinoftegrating forces. organisation. Coordination becomes
activities the major factor operations: Growhin the
requiring coordination. Need fornumber and complexity
coordination arises as
 Synd hatb at
3.4
’G& yau
ArroputManagement: Principles and
soon as the operations become multiple, diversificd andIcomplex.In a Applications
alarge number of individuals are employed. These people may worklargeat organisation,
if their etortsand activitics are not properly
may alsoincrease geographical distançeamong coordinated. Increasing scale of operatio
the members ofthe organisation. Several
layers of autbority create problem of communication, Personal contact is not
andfomal methods of coordination beçome essential)Operations possible
are multifarious
there are too many centrifugal forces. Therefore, and
constant efforts are
harmonious functioning of the enterprise(Asthe size of organisationrequircd to ensure
of coordination becomes increasingly difficult increases, theiask
2. Specialisation: Division and
departments leads todiversity ofsubdivision
of work, into specialised functions and
various departmentsfocu_ on theirtask_andlack of uniformity) Specialists in charge of
own functions with little regard
For example, production department may insist on to other functions,
which are convenient and economical toproducethe manufacture of those products
consumers. It becomçs neçessarytdsynchrohise) the diverse overlooking their suitability to
of different units to create unity in the and specialised activities
of labour, more is the need for midst of diversity. Generally greater the division
coordination
unless specialised efforts are effectively Specialisation will not yield desired results,
coordination becomes mandatory.Needintegrated.Where division
to specialise leads oflabour andnevitable,
is
differentiation of organisational activities.The greater the tohorizontal more_vertical,
are the problems
ofçommunication and differentiation, serious
3. Clash of interests; Individual_ Coordination.
join.an organisation to fulfil thei personal goals,)i.e.,
theikphysiologicaland psychological needs,)Often individuals fail to appreciate how the
achievement of organisational goals will satisfytheir own goals, They may
(own specialised personal interestsoftenat the pursue their
They tend to work expense of the larger organisational goals.
at(cross-purposes,Coordinatign
individual and organisational goals.Jf brings about helps to avordconflict between
goals by making individuals see how their jobs harmony between the two typesof
organisation. Coordination avgids all splinteringcontribute to the common goals of the
efforts that may destroy the unity of
action.
4. Different outlook: Every
and approach towards individual in the organisation h¡s his own way of
problems.Capacity. talent and working
speedof people
becomesimperativgtdreconciledifferengesin approach, timíng differ widely. It
departments to secure ynity of andeffort of different
organisation in th¹ face ofnarawaction.Cooperationserves as the
_ecttonal outlook. Coordinationbinding force in an
due to differences in the attitudesand
and working styles of becomes dificult
5. Interdependence of units: Various units of an personnel.
for their successful
functioning. organisation depend upon one another
For instance, the
weaving plant. The output of one unit serves as the spinning plant supplies yarn to the
Thompson has identified three types of input of another unit. James D.
interdependence, (b) sequential interdependence,interdependence, namely, (a)pooleu
and (c) reciprocal interdependence
Coordination - The Essence of Management 3.5

Pooled interdependence refers to the situation wherein the various departments of an

organisation function as autonomgus units and do(no) depend on each other for the
performance af their day-today-activities In sequential interdependence, the work_of
different units formsa sequenceand one unit cannot do its work until the work in
preceding unit has been completed) In reciprocalinterdependence, different units are
reçiprocally related and there is 4give and takeBelationship amongthem. The need for
coordination increases with an increase inthe interdependencebetween organisational
units. It is highest in reciprocal interdependence, higher in sequential interdependence
and high in pooled interdependence.
6. Conflicts: In an organisation, conflicts may arise between line managers and staff
specialists or between management and workers. Human nature is such that aperson
enphasises hisown area of interestanddoes not want to get involved in the activities of
others, Coordination avoids potentialsources of conflict.
7. Empire-building: In order to boost upself-importanc andpersonal egg. some members
empire-builderstry
of the organisation tend to over-emphasise their own activities. Such
the units
to get maximum possible share of the total resaurces for their own units as if
and
were separate entities. This empire building tendency docs not allowcooperation
self-coordination (Special efforts become necessary to coordinate the activities and
efforts of empire-builders. dudin putdo
8. Personal jealousies and rivalries: Personal1ty clashes are quite common in human
organisations. Members of,rival groupsdeliberately sabotage coordination. In their efforts
to settle personal scores, some persons do not pernitharmonioushctionor team work)
Such rivalry is often accentuated bylack oflear-cut goals hndlspecific authoritylimits)
3.5 ADVANTAGES OF COORDINATION
Coordination provides the following benefits:
1. Higher efficiency and economy: Coordination helps to improve the efficiency of
operations by avoiding(overlapping effortand (uplication of work) Integration and
Coordination
balancing of individual efforts provide a smooth and harmonious team work.
the sum of
is a creative force which makes possible a total result which is greater than
individual achievements. This is the synergetic effect of coordination.
Coordination enables an organisation to make optimum use of its resources. The success
coordination is
of organised endeavour depends upon the quality of coordination.In fact,
the first principle of organisation as it expresses the principle of organisation in toto. The
quality of coordination is the crucial factor in the survival of an organisation.
2. Good human relations: Besides promoting the efficiency of operations, coordination
effort
improves the morale andjob satisfaction of employees. Composite and orderlyderive
established through, team spirit,and gxecutive leadershig enablesemployees to
well-coordinated
a sense of security and personal contentment from their job. A
3.6
Management: Principles and pplications
Coordination improves hunman
organisation can attract, retain and utilise betterpersonnel.
objectives.
relations by reconciling individual and organisational
Unity of direction: Coordination helps to ensure unity ofaction in the face ofdisruptive
3. and sections into once entity
forces. By welding together different departments It enables the cxecutives
coordination ensures the stability and growth of anorganisation.goals. Individual intereste
narrow sectional
to see the enterprise as a whole instead of
more easily and effectively.
are subordinated to the common interest
an alljnclusive concept or the end
4. uinjessence of management: Coordination is nothing more than coordination ofall
result of the management process. Management is from within) and (without)
activities, efforts and forces that affect the organisation According to Mary Parker
Coordination serves as a key to all managerial functions.
have a business
Follett, the first test of abusiness administration should be whether you
with all its parts so coordinated, so moving together in their closely knit and adjusting
is not
activities, so linking, inter-locking, inter-relating, that they make a working unit that
unit".
a congenis of separatepieces, but a functional whole or integrated
5. Organisational effectiveness: Coordination fosters loyalty and commitment among
employees. Thisenhances the effectiveness and stability of the organisation. According
to McFarland, ifjob satisfactions are present, executives will tend to remain longer
with thecompany. They will feel that they have a place in the organisation. They will
feel that they have earned that place. The presence of coordination becomes part of
their job experience and hence can form a very useful part of their training." Thus,
coordination is the sine qua non of effective management.
Lack of coordination results in inefficiency, poor morale and greater wastage of
resources.

3.6 TYPES OF COORDINATION

Coordination may be divided on diferent bases, namely scope and flow. On the basis of scope
or coverage, coordination can be internal or external while on the basis of flow coordination
can be classified into verticaland horizontal. Coordination may also be procedural and sub
stantive.
1. Internal and external co-ordination: Coordination between the different units of
an organisation is known as internal coordination. Such coordination requires
synchronisation of the activities and efforts of individuals in different departments,
plants, branches, offices and divisions of the enterprise. External coordination refers
to coordination bet- ween an organisation and its external environment compris1ng o
government, community, customers, technology, investors, suppliers, competitors,
research institutions, etc. External coordination is essential for the survival of the
organisation just like internal coordination. No organisation operates in a vacuum.
order to survive and succeed it must continuously harmonise its working with tne
external forces influencing it.
Coordination - The Essence of Management 3.7

2. Vertical and horizontal co-ordination: Vertical coordination implies coordination

between different levels of organisation. It is required toensure that all levels in the
organisation act in harmony and in accordance with the goals and policies of the
organisation. Vertical coordination is ensured by top management through delegation of
authority. Coordination between different departments and other units at the same level
of management hierarchy is called horizontal or lateral coordination. For instance,
coordination between production department and marketing department is horizontal
coordination. The need for horizontal coordination is generally greater though problems
of coordination exist both horizontally and vertically.Vertical coordination is aby-product
of the superior's efficient and expert performance of managerial functions whereas
horizontal coordination is the result of mutual consultations and cooperation. In a small
organisation close contacts, proximity of working arrangements and short lines of
communication facilitate horizontal coordination. But in a large organisation, superior
management is required to achieve such coordination.
3. Procedural andsubstantive co-ordination: According to Herbert A. Simon, procedural
coordination implies the specification of theorganisation in itself, i.e., the generalised
description of the behaviour and relationships of the members of the organisation.
Such coordination establishes the lines of authority and outlines the sphere of activity
and authority of each member of the organisation. On the other hand, substantive
coordination is concerned with the content of the organisation's activities, For instance,
in an automobile plant an organisation chart is an aspect of procedural coordination,
while blue-prints for the engine block of the car being manufactured are an aspect of
substantive coordination.

3.7 PRINCIPLES OF COORDINATION

(Requisites for effective coordination)
Mary Parker Follett' has laid down four principles for effective coordination:
1.(Direct contact:According tothis principle,coordination is best achieved through direct
personat contact among the people concerned. Direct communication is the most
effective way to convey ideas, feelings and information. Face-to-façe exchangeof ideas
and views helps to clear doubts and remove misunderstanding. Mutual understanding
and identity of interests can be created easily and promptly through interpersonal
relationships.
2. Early starti Coordination can be achieved more easily in the early stages of planning
and policy-making. Therefore, plans should be based on mutual consultatiom_and
participation, Integration of efforts þecomes very difficult in the execution of werk
once, the uncoordina<edplans are put into operation.
states_that all factors in a given situation are
J. Reciprocal relationship: This principle
reciprocally related. For instance, in a group, every person influences att others and is in

I. MetCalfe and Urwick: Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follet.
 3.8 Management: Principlex and
turn influenced by others.When people appreciate the interdependence among dilr Applications
elements ofasituationthey avoid unilateral action and coordination becomes ei
4. Continuity: Coordination is an on-going Or ngvercndiyg presess ratherthana once-for
all actiyity. It cannot be left to chance but management has to.stñYg
maintaining proper balanceamong different clements. Sound coord1nation continually
is
for
not fire-
fighting i.e., resolving conflicts as they arise. ltis anticipatingin advance the potentiol
contlicts and preventing their occurrence.
3.8 TECHNIQUES OR MECHANISMS OF COORDINATION

The main techniques of effectivecoordination are as follows:

1. Sound planning: Unity of purpose is the first essential condition of
coordination
Theretore, the goals of the organisation and goals of its units must be clearly
Every member of theorganisation must understand fully how his job contributes defined
to the
overall objectives. Planning is the ideal stage for coordination. Clear-cut
harmonised policies and integrated procedures ensure uniformity of action. objectives,
plans should be integrated properly. Precise policies and Various
facilitate coordination of activities and individuals. Standardcomprehensive programmes
uniformity in repetitive operations. procedures and rules create
2. Simplified organisation: A simple and sound
organisation is an important mcansof
coordination. The lines of authority and responsibility from top to the bottom.of the
organisation structure should be clearly defined. Clear-cut
responsibility of each department and individual helps to definition of authority and
avoid conflicts. Clear-cut
authority relationships help to reduce conflicts and to hold people
activities should be grouped together and jobs should be responsible. Rclated
drawn organisation charts, organisational manuals and properly inter-related. Well
for uniform action. In some cases, proper allocation of work make
to achieve coordination of rearrangement departments may be necessary
thought and action.
of
3. Effective
Effective communication:
Open and regular communication is the key to
inter-change of opinionsand information coordination.
helps in resolving differences and
in creating mutual
understanding. Personal or face-to-face contacts are the most
effective means of communication and coordination. Committees help to
unity of pur-poseand uniformity of action. promote
frank exchange of views. Coordination They provide an opportunity for free and
groups are represented in the becomes easier when different functional
decision-making process. Committees are helpful in
integrating the activities of different
decisions and such group decisions themseivesdepartments. Committee decisions arc collective
departments or functions in the enterprise. Personal provide coordination amongdifferent
or face-to-face
may be supplemented by written
communication. Informal communication communication
be utilised for the purpose of coordination. can also
4. Effective leadership and supervision: Effective
leadership ensures coordination of
 Coordination - The Essence of Management 3.9

efforts both at the planning and the execution stage. Agood lcader can continuously
guide the activities of his subordinates in the right direction and can inspire them to
pull together for the accomplishment of common objcctives. Sound leadership can
persuade subordinates to have identity of interests andto adopt a common outlook.
Effective leadership reduces the dependence on such formal means of coordination
as authority, rules and procedures. In fact, no technique of coordination can replace
effective leadership. Personal supervision is an important method of resolving
differences of opinion. It helps to ensure that work procecds as planned. Coordination
is a human task and amanager can accomplish it through interpersonal relations.
Informal contacts with subordinates help to create climate of mutual trust and
cooperation which is the foundation of coordination. Luther Gullick has called
coordinating by ideas to describe the use of leadership in coordination.
5. Standardisation:Coordination can be ensured by standardization. Organization should
have standardization of work processes, outputs, skills, knowledge and norms.
Standardisation of work processes involves specifying the work content in rules or
routines to be followed. The output standards should be established and communicated
beforehand. Skill sets and knowledge required for ajob should be specified. Norms
should also be standardized. These measures willbring coordination as all employees
have a common understanding of what is to be done, how it is to be done and who can
do it.
6. Exercise
Chain ofofcommand: Authority is the supreme coordinating power in an organisation.
authority through the chain of command or hierarchy is the traditional
means of coordination. Chain of command brings together the different parts of an
organisation and relates them to a central authority. Coordination between interdependent
units can be secured by putting them under one boss. Because of his organisational
position, a superior has the authority to issue orders and instructions to subordinates. He
can resoive inter-positional and intergroup conflicts. However, behavioural scientists
have warmed against over-dependence on chain of command. According to Chris Argyris,
the hierarchy technique of coordination makes individuals dependent upon and passive
towards the leader., It is inconsistent with the needs of mature personality. The hierarchical
structure may impair communication and decision-making.
7. Indoctrination and incentives: Indoctrinating organisational nmembers with the goals
committed body.
and missíon of the organisation can transform a neutral body into a conflicts.
Similarly, incentives may be used to create mutuality of interest and to reduce
For instance, profit-sharing is helpful in promoting team-spirit and cooperation between
employers and workers. Such mutuality of interest reduces strife and ensures better
coordination.
organisational units
3. Liaison departments: Where frequent contact between different may
1S necessary, liaison officers may be employed. For instance, a liaison department
ensurethat the production department is meeting the delivery dates and specifications
appointed in certain
promised by the sales department, Special coordinators may be
 3.10 Management: Principles and Applications
cases. For instance, a projcct coordinator is appointed to coordinate the activities of
various functionaries in aproject which is to be completed within aspecified periodof
time. Liaison officers act as linking pins in' anorganisation and compensate for lack of
face-to-face contacts."
9. General staff: In large organisations, a centralised pool of staff experts is used for
cOordination, A common staff group serves as the clearing house of information and
specialised advice to all the departments of the enterprise. Such general staff is very
helpfulin achieving inter-departmental or horizontal coordination.
10. Voluntary coordination: When every organisational unit appreciates the working of
related units and modifies its own functioning to suit them, there is self-coordination
Self-coordination or voluntary coordination is possible in a climate of dedication and
mutual cooperation. It results from mutual consultation and team-spiritamong the
members of the organisation. It arises when every member of the group takes
cognizance of the effects ofhis actions on others. Under self-coordination, members
of an organisation voluntarily adjust their behaviour according to the needs of the
situation. Self-coordination is the voluntary efforts of independent units or subunits of
an organisation to achieve the harmonious performance of their respective
responsibilities. But self-coordination requires that individuals have sufficient knowledge
of organisational goals, adequate information concerning the specific problem of
coordination, and the motivation to do something on their own. Managers cannot rely
on self-coordination as these conditions are not always fulfilled. Self-coordination
cannot be a substitute for coordination from above. Managers have to make deliberate
efforts to bring unity of purpose in the activities of subordinates. In the words of
Haimann, "neither the principle of self-coordination nor the concept of self-adjustment
is a substitute for coordination. It takes the efforts of the leader or the manager to
bring about coordination, and the goal of the enterprise cannot be successfully obtained
without it, "1

3.9 WHY COORDINATION IS THE ESSENCE OF MANAGEMENT?

Henry Fayol, James Mooney, Ordway Tead, Lyndall F. Urwick, Luther Gullick, Louis A. Allen
and many other experts consider coordination as a separate function of
Davis regards coordination a vital phase of control. But it seems management. R.C.
more accurate to treat
coordination as the essence of managing because|the achievemenLof harmony of individual
effort towards the accomplishment of group goalsis the very
the cònductor of an orchestra,the task ofa manager /s tounify and purpose of management. Like
harmonise
subordinates for the achievement of common purpose Coordinationpermeatestheor activities o!
the entire process transverses
ofmanagement) It is acommon silken thread running through all management
functions. Managerial functions are like flowers in the garland of
levels must coordinate the effort_ of their subordinates,) coordination.(Managers at all
Theo Haimann: op. cit. p.29.
 Coordination - The Essence of Management 3.11

exampleplanning is not
Eyery function of management must in itself be_coorGinated. For
effective unless departmental lplans are properly balanced and integrated into a master plan.
Coordination integrates and hartmonises different policies and iprogrammes ofthe.organisation.
is a
Organisation would be poor ifthere lack of harmony in horizontal and vertical authority
relationships. Coordination is helpfyl in simplifving theexpresses the principle of
in eliminating
arganisational structureandorganisation in
conflicts. It is the first principle of organ1satian as it
of organising is to secure interdepartmentaljand
toto nothing less.The primary purpose betconsistentwith
interpersonal,coordination2Staffing must the needs and resources of the
entemzise.Direction is not sound unlessordersand instructions are(consistentwith the needs
Coordinationis achieved through communication, supervision and leadership.
ofthe situation.
performance. Accurate measurement ot.actual
WControlling creates harmony between plans and require the(cooperation and(coordination)of
action,
performance and _uccessful corective coordination is allpervasive and it is inherent in all
different units of the organisation.Thus, an exerCIse in coordination Amanager
Each of the managerial functions is
managerial functions. proçess)and(coordination is the outcome of
(achieves coordination)hrough(the management organisationmore
factcoordination makef planning more purposeful
managerialfunctions)in
the process of management,]Managerial
well-kniandcontrol moreregulative:)it is the key toshown
coordinationas in Figure 3.1.
functions are spokes in the wheel of

Organis
P l a n n i n g

Control ing
COORDINATION

Directing

Coordination
EssentialNature of
Fig. 3.1: the
achieve coordination. "It thus becomes
succeds to the extent heis able to approach, timing, effort or interest and
nager differences in
reconcile
Rskofthe managerto
 3.12 Management: Principles and Applications
to harmonise cooperative and indiyidsal goals,." Coordination is the resulL whichcan k.
achievcd irough the proper performance of managçrialNetiors
Coordination is the result of the process of management. Evcry function of
managcnent
contributes to coordinatjon. Thís relationship between managerial functionsand coordination;:
described below:
1. Coordination through planning: Planning is the ideal stage for coordination &
manager çan crcate coordinatienthrough,planning by fntsgrating the plans of
departmenta, When plans are preparcd withth mutual consultation)anp different
(partici
of all people involved in the plans, efforts ofarous magagers are synchronised A
good plan requires hamonistiop
pat
betwéen (uean_ and ends.] In order to draw un
ion
orderly course of action, all activities and effort_haveto be interwoven anddovetailed
This is coordination in planningr
2. Coordination throughorganising: While assigning duties and delcgating authority
among subordinates, the thought of coordination mnust be upper-mostin the.mindof
a manager. Related activities_should be groupcd under onc head,j Lack of
understanding as to who is to do what leads to poor coordination. Suh lack of
understanding arises when a manager fails to delegate authority and create
responsibility in clear terms. Both vertical and horizontal coordination is brought
about by clear-cut authority relationships. According to Mooney,
first principle of sound organisation. coordination is the
3. Coordination through staffing: Keeping right
type of training working at the right jobs number of personncl with the right
coordination. Managementmust bear coordinationpromotes voluntary cooperation and
in mind while performing
selection. training, promotion and appraisal functions. recruitment,
4.
Coordination through direction: Efficient direction is an
coordintion, Supervision, leadership, motivation and important means of
communication
behaviour of subordinates so as to developlunity of action help to influence
and efforts)Supervision js
a ementing force and
leadership seeks to deveftop teamwork
Motivation involves harmony between individual among employets.
Continuous flow ofcommunication creates mutual interests and group interests.
5. Coordination thrQugh cooperation coordination.
and
control: Frequent evaluatien-ef
synchronising efforts of the subordinates. Corrective action pesformançe is helpful
brings about
between plansand pertormancCe. The very nature of
to bring about coordination. the controlling function is harmony
desIg
Thus, coordination is the very
essence of management.

1. Koontz and O'Donnell: op. cit., p. 30.

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