Coordination- the essence of management

Coordination- The Essence of management:

When the organisation structure is created and departments are designed, managers coordinate the activities of these departments to achieve organisational goals. Top managers communicate organisational goals to departmental managers and help them carry out the functions of planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling for their respective departments.

They integrate objectives of the organisation with objectives of the departments and harmonies departmental goals with organisational goals. Coordination, thus, helps to coordinate the work of different departments and within each department, it integrates all the functions of management. Coordination is, therefore, rightly called the essence of management. It helps each managerial function and each departmental activity contribute to organisational goals.

Characteristic of coordination:

Characteristics of coordination in an organisation:

(1) Coordination Integrates Group Effort:

The need for coordination is felt when group effort is needed for the accomplishment of an objective. In short, it can be said that coordination is related to group effort and not individual effort. The question of coordination does not arise, if the job is done by one person only.

(2) Coordination Ensures Unity of Action:

The nature of coordination is of creating unity in action. It means during coordinating process an effort is made to create unity among the various activities of an organisation. For example, the purchase and sales departments have to coordinate their efforts so that supply of goods takes place according to purchase orders.

(3) Coordination is a Continuous Process:

It is not a job which can be performed once and for all, but its need is felt at every step. Many activities are performed in a business. Sometimes or the other, if any one of the activities goes on fluctuating either for more or less than required, the whole organisational balance is disrupted. Thus, a close watch has to be kept on all the activities to maintain the balance.

(4) Coordination is an All-pervasive Function:

Pervasiveness refers to that truth which is applicable to all spheres (business and non-business organisations) and places uniformly. The nature of coordination is pervasive. Like making of time­table in an educational institution is an apt example of establishing coordination.

In the game of cricket, the placement of players at pre-determined positions is nothing but coordination. In the same manner, to synchronise the activities of different departments, like purchase, sales, production, finance, etc. in a business organisation is coordination.

(5) Coordination is the Responsibility of All Managers:

Coordination is needed at all the three, i.e., top, middle and lower managerial levels. Different activities performed at all the levels are equally important. Thus it is the responsibility of all the managers that they make efforts to establish coordination. That is why, it could not be said that coordination is of more importance to any one particular managerial level or a manager.

(6) Coordination is a Deliberate Function:

Coordination is never established by itself but it is a deliberate effort. Only cooperation does not suffice but coordination is also needed. For example, a teacher aspires to teach effectively (this is cooperation) but the timetable is not prepared in the school (this is lack of coordination).

In this situation, classes cannot be arranged for. Here, the effort made by the teacher is meaningless, in the absence of coordination. On the other hand, in the absence of cooperation, coordination dissatisfies the employees. Thus, both are required at a given point of time.