COORDINATION
According to various experts, coordination means:
“Coordination is the essence of management for the
achievement of harmony of individual efforts towards the accomplishment of
group goals. -koontz & O’Donnell
NEED OF COORDINATION-
Main points of the need of coordination are as follows:
i.
Unity
of command may only be exercised, if effective coordination is there.
ii.
Coordination
establishes unity among the various factors of management having difference.
iii.
Coordination
increases total accomplishment of the employed resources.
iv.
Through
coordination energy, money and time wasted upon conflicts can be minimized.
v.
Coordination
expands the creative and the constructive power of human.
vi.
It
establishes a balance in the organization.
Importance of
coordination-
“men must be induced to cooperate and to work together.”
Koontz and O’Donnell says, “Coordination is the essence
of management not simply a function.”
The importance of coordination is as follows:
§ Unity of command: “unity of command is important cannon of management. Without
coordinating various activities in a whole, this principle cannot be attained
in organization.
§ Unity amidst diversity: In an organization, a variety of persons work to achieve a
common goal. Though, they are directed and diverted towards common goals.
Though, they are directed towards a common goal but they have their own type of
brain, working and ideology.
§ Total accomplishment: if it is assumed that persons of an organization are individually
potent, devoted and skilled, their total accomplishment will be greater than
their individual efforts, therefore coordination is important to establish.
Mary Parker Follet had favored this theory. She says it “positive”.
§ High Employee Morale: coordination gives job satisfaction to the employees because of mutual
help and optimum relationship. Consequently, there morale uplifts and they work
with more devotion, more zeal and more industry.
§ Creative and constructive power: Coordination is an effective, creative and constructive
power. New and beneficial personal and collective efforts. Without
coordinating, factors of production remain unproductive.
§ To establish balance: it is evident that all persons working in an organization cannot be
equal at every point. Some persons may have intellect where as some persons may
have strength. Coordination balances these variances.
Technique
of Effective co-ordination-
The basic objective of all management function is to get
things done by coordinated efforts.
1)
Coordination by chain of command-
Vertical coordination is required to
synchronize the work the work allocated to several mgt. level in the organization
. A Manager can achieve vertical coordination by using his authority &
issue order & instructions.
2)
Coordination by leadership-
If coordination cannot be achieved by
authority, managers can use leadership to bring coordination among their subordinates. Leadership is the process
of influencing and supporting others to work willingly & enthusiastically to
achieve desired results.
3)
Coordination by committees-
The role of a committee is
significant in achieving horizontal
coordination , i.e , coordination of efforts of functional or divisional units.
Committee ensures that problems which arise out of relationship among various
units can be solved by group decision. This creates better understanding of
each other which helps in coordination .
4)
Staff meetings-
Periodic staff meeting can be highly
effective in promoting coordination.
5)
Special coordinators- in large orgnisation , special coordinators are appointed. The normally work in staff
capacity to facilitate the working of line managers. A coordination cell may be
created whose responsibility is to collect the relevant information and send
this to various heads of department or sections so that inter-department work and relationship are coordinated.
6)
Self coordination- it
involves functioning of each dept. in such a way that each dept.
coordinates with other departments. Each dept. , section , or individual affect
others and is also affected by others.
Therefore, if these dept. , section or individuals adopt a method of
working which facilitates others, self-coordination is achieved. This can be done
by better horizontal communication.
