Introduction

Various departments or sections are assigned different tasks to perform. They are assigned on the basis of their specialization. Employees of each department perform their duties with a view to achieving common objectives collectively. It is co-ordination. Coordination is the process which ensures smooth interplay of the functions of management. Common objectives are achieved without much wastage of time, efforts and money with the help of co-ordination.

A modern enterprise consists of a number of departments. In olden days, the enterprise was divided into departments such as purchase, production, sales, finance and accounts. But, now a days, the enterprise is divided into the following departments: purchase, production, sales, finance, account, personnel, research and development, public relations and the like. The classification of departments is very large at present. So the importance of co-ordination has subsequently increased.

Definition

J. Lundy, "Co-ordination involves the development of unity of purpose and the harmonious implementation of plans for the achievement of desired ends."

Henry Fayol, "To co-ordinate is to harmonize all the activities of a concern so as to facilitate its working and its success. 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 tuned to circumstances."

Alan C. Reiley and James D. Mooney, "Co-ordination is the orderly arrangement of group effort, to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common purpose."

Orduray Tead, "Co-ordination is the effort to ensure the smooth interplay of the functions and forces of all the components and parts of an organisation to the end that its purpose will be realized with a minimum of friction and a maximum of co-operative effectiveness."

Koontz and O'Donnel, "It seems more accurate to regard co-ordination as the essence of managership for the achievement of harmony of individual efforts towards the accomplishment of group goals as the purpose of management. Each of the managerial functions is an exercise in co-ordination."

G.R. Terry, "Co-ordination deals with the task of blending efforts in order to ensure the successful attainment of an objective. It is accomplished by means of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling."

Newman, "Co-ordination is a part of all phases of administration and that it is not a separate and distinct activity."

E.F.L. Brech, "Co-ordination is balancing and keeping the teams together by ensuring a suitable allocation of working activities to the various members and seeing that these are performed with due harmony among the members themselves."

Features / Characteristics of Co-ordination 

1. Not a separate function of management

Co-ordination is necessary in all functions of management. So, co-ordination is not a separate and distinct function of management.

2. Managerial responsibility

Every departmental head is responsible to co-ordinate the efforts of his subordinates. It is inherent in the managerial job and responsibility.

3. Provides unity of action

Unity of action is necessary to obtain common objectives. So, unity of action is considered to be the heart of the co-ordination process.

4. Co-ordination is necessary to all levels of organisation

Co-ordination is not brought by force or left to chance. So, the top executives should take deliberate efforts to bring co-ordination.

5. Relevant of group efforts

Group efforts rather than individual efforts are necessary to bring co-ordination. An individual cannot work without affecting the functions of others. It emphasizes the group efforts.

6. Continuous and dynamic process

Co-ordination starts with the planning process and ends with controlling process. In every organisation, a certain kind of co-ordination exists. Special efforts should be taken by the management to achieve high degree of coordination.

7. System concept

An organisation is a system of co-operative efforts. Each department functions are different in nature and have inter-dependence in the organisation system. The organisation runs smoothly with the help of co-ordination. Thus, co-ordination is a system-concept.

Need for and importance of co-ordination

The effective performance of managerial functions requires co-ordination.

1. Unity in diversity

Effective co-ordination is the essence of good management. There are large number of employees and each has different ideas, views or opinions, activities and background in a large organisation. Thus, there is a diversified activity in a large organisation where these diversified activities will be inefficient in the absence of coordination. So, co-ordination is the main element of unity in diversity.

2. Term work or unity of direction

The efforts, energies and skills of various persons should be integrated as group efforts to achieve the objectives of organisation. In the absence of co-ordination, the group efforts may be diversified and fail to achieve the objectives. Besides, co-ordination eliminates the duplication of work which leads to economic and efficient management.

3. Functional differentiation

The organisation functions are divided department- wise or section-wise or division-wise. Each department performs different jobs. They are necessary to achieve the general objectives. Co-ordination ensures definite achievement of objectives. Each department tries to perform its function in isolation from others. It may create a problem. Therefore, co-ordination is necessary to integrate the functions of the related departments.

4. Specialization

There is a high degree of specialization in the modern industrial world. Specialists know thoroughly about their respective fields. They are able to judge the scope, nature and kind of work they perform. But they fail to know the job of others and the importance of others' performances. This tends to cause dispute among the specialists. Disputes may be solved with the help of co-ordination.

5. Reconciliation of goals

Each department or division has its own goals to achieve within the stipulated time. There are general goals in relation to an organisation. The employees who are working in the organisation also have their own goals. Individuals or employees give more importance to their own goals than to the department and organizational goals. The department members give more importance to their own departmental goals than to the organisation goals. Therefore, co-ordination reconciles the employee's goals with both departmental and organisation goals.

6. Large number of employees

Large number of employees are working in large organisations. They have different habits, behavior and approaches in a particular situation. Sometimes, they do not act rationally. Their behavior is neither always well understood nor completely predictable. So, there is every possibility of problems arising in a complex organisation. All this makes co-ordination more essential.

7. Congruity of flows or congruent flows

Congruity of flows refers to the continuous flow of similar information from one direction to other directions. Information regarding the utilization of resources, activities, using of authority and output is made to flow in an organisation. Co-ordination ensures the smooth and continuous flow of information.

8. Empire building

Empire building refers to top portion of line organisation. The line officers always expect co-operation from staff officers. But the line officers are not ready to extend their co-operation to staff officers. It creates conflicts between line officers and staff officers. Therefore, co-ordination is necessary to avoid conflicts between line officers and staff officers.

9. Differentiation and integration

The whole activity of every organisation is classified into two units. They are specialised and homogeneous units. Authority is delegated to the various levels of organisation. This is necessary to achieve group efforts. Co-ordination facilitates this process.

Techniques of effective Co-ordination

The basic objective of all managerial functions is to get things done by coordinated efforts. Thus, every management function should lead to coordination. However, conflicts frequently arise since it is virtually impossible to achieve a mechanically perfect system of clear-cut jurisdictions. Therefore, managers have to achieve coordination by making some special efforts. Some of these efforts may be in the following direction:

1. Coordination by Chain of Command

In an organisation, the chain of command is the most important method of coordination, particularly vertical coordination. Vertical coordination is required to harmonize the work allocated to several levels in the organisation. It ensures that the various levels do not act out of accord with each other or with policies and objectives of the organisation. The concepts of unity of efforts, timing, and orderly efforts apply to all levels and all units of the organisation. A manager can achieve the vertical coordination by using his authority. Because of his organizational position, he can issue orders and instructions to his subordinates. This process can go down the organisation. He can define the authority of his subordinates, their functions, and timing of performance of these functions. However, role of chain of command is limited even to achieve vertical coordination.

2. Coordination by Leadership

If coordination cannot be achieved by mere exercise of authority, managers can use their leadership to bring coordination among their subordinates. Leadership is the process of inducing subordinates to cooperate willingly. Leadership brings individual motivation and persuades the group to have identity of interests and outlook in group efforts. Thus, many conflicting situations can be overcome by inducing people to work in harmony by exercising leadership.

3. Coordination by Committees

Committee is a body of persons entrusted with discharge of some functions collectively as a group. The role of a committee is significant in achieving horizontal coordination. Coordinating horizontally is a matter of relating the efforts of functional, divisional, or territorial units to each other. Committee ensures that problems which arise out of relationships among various units can be solved by group decisions. The core of group decision making, so far as coordination is concerned, lies in the opportunities for free and open discussion and interchange of ideas, problems, proposals, and solutions. Improved understanding of organisation-wide matters leads to better coordination.

4. Staff Meetings

Periodic staff meetings can be highly effective in promoting coordination through better communication. Usually, it is desirable for a regular time to be set aside for meetings. These meetings generally contribute in the following ways to achieve coordination: (f) to give everyone present a sense of the unity and interconnectedness of the work of the organisation as a whole; (i) to learn from the superior manager about new problems and developments which affect their work; (ii) to solicit and enlist the thought and cooperation of staff members in the solution of problems; (w) to provide an opportunity for subordinates to bring up questions which the superior manager should know about and which may affect the operations of parallel divisions of the organisation; and (v) to provide a forum in which friction points or areas of inadequate coordination are brought into the open.

5. Special Coordinators

Generally, in large organisations, special coordinators are appointed. They normally work in staff capacity to facilitate the working of line managers. A coordination cell may also be created. The basic responsibility of the cell is to collect the relevant information and to send this to various heads of departments or sections so that interdepartmental work and relationship is coordinated. In some cases, a particular person is appointed to coordinate the work of a particular nature. For example, in a particular project, along with various functionaries, a project coordinator can also be appointed. His basic function is to coordinate various activities of the project and to keep information about the development of the project.

6. Self-coordination

The basic principle of self-coordination is modification of functioning of a department in such a way that each department coordinates with other departments. Each department, section, or individual affects others and is also affected by others. Therefore, if these departments, sections, or individuals apply a method of working which facilitates others, self-coordination is achieved. This can be done by better horizontal communication. However, mere communication does not work unless there is a proper organizational climate in which each one sees the integration of his goals with organizational goals and also the benefits of his department with others.

In using various techniques of coordination, managers have to keep two factors in mind: essentials for effective coordination and following the principles of coordination.

Essentials for Effective Coordination

An effective coordination tries to ensure synchronized operations by different units and individuals of an organisation. A coordination effort based on the following features ensures its effectiveness:

1. Well-defined Authority and Responsibility

Often, coordination problems emerge because of lack of well-defined authority and responsibility. In such a situation, people are not clear about what is expected of them and they experience role ambiguity. This results in conflict among organizational units and individuals leading to suboptimal performance. In order to overcome this problem, authority and responsibility of each unit and individual should be defined clearly. In bureaucratic organisation, this is done more precisely in structured form. However, in adaptive and dynamic organisations, such a prescription is not easily possible because of changing work contents. In these organisations, clarity of authority and responsibility emerges out of the functioning of members of a team. Therefore, authority and responsibility of various teams can be prescribed from time to time.

2. Well-defined Work Procedures

While well-defined authority and responsibility facilitate substantive coordination, well-defined work procedures facilitate procedural coordination. When the work procedures are well-defined and adhered properly, these help to achieve coordination easily. Well-defined work procedures are more important in those activities which have impact on other activities in the organisation. Where two units of the organisation are highly interdependent, performance of activities in one unit affects the performance of activities in another unit.

3. Effective Communication System

People in the organisation interact among themselves through communication as it is the means for sharing ideas and information. Communication performs different types of the function-informative, command and instructive, influence and persuasive, and integrative. All these functions not only help in proper work performance but also help in coordination. If communication system is designed effectively, it helps the members to sort out their differences and work in harmonised way. A good communication system is one that ensures adequate, clear, and timely information at various points in the organisation.

4. Provisions of Check and Inspection

In order to achieve coordination among different functions and persons in the organisation, there should be provisions for adequate check and inspection to know what is happening in the organisation; where the problems of coordination exist; and what factors are responsible for such problems. Provisions of check and inspection may not automatically ensure effective coordination but help to correct those factors which create problems in coordination.

5. Effective Organisation Structure

Often, faulty organisation structure is one of the most crucial factors which affect coordination adversely. Tall structure with large number of organisational levels often presents the problems of communication and coordination. As against this, flat structure with a limited number of levels facilitates communication and coordination. This is the reason why progressive organisations prefer flat structure in which they experience least problem of coordination.

6. Proper Organisational Climate

Organisational climate affects various organisational processes including coordination. Organisational climate refers to the work environment that prevails in the organisation. If this is developed properly, much of coordination problems will not emerge. In fact, in one way, it can be said that coordination problem is the result of classical organisation structure and behavioural pattern. Organisations which follow contemporary approach in designing structure and behavioural pattern face less problem of coordination. Proper organisational climate can be created by effective leadership and supervision, high standards of excellence in every area of operation and evaluation, encouragement of participation and group decision making and its implementation, and high value assigned to interpersonal trust, amity, and, tolerance of inividual differences.

Principles of Coordination

In applying techniques for achieving effective coordination in the organisation, managers have to observe certain principles. Observance of these principles facilitates the application of various techniques of coordination. Mary Parker Follett, one of the classical management thinkers, has suggested four basic principles of coordination: direct contact, coordination at early stages, continuity, and dynamism. To these, two more principles in the form of timing and reciprocal relationship were added. Let us see how these principles work and aid to effective coordination.

1. Principle of Direct Contact

Principle of direct contact states that coordination can be achieved by direct contact among people whose activities are to be coordinated. Such a contact can be established through the provision of effective communication system. Direa contact helps in bringing agreement on work methods, actions, and achievement of ultimate objectives. It helps to wither away the controversies and misunderstandings among organisational members as well as external parties. Principle of direct contact is based on the theme that coordination is better achieved through mutual understanding and not by force, order, or coercion.

2. Coordination at Early Stages

 Coordination can better be achieved if it is attempted at the early of stage of work cycle, that is, at the planning stage. At the stage of planning such as objective setting, strategy and policy formulation, etc., coordination can be sought from organisational members. This may be done through their participation in decision-making process. When members are involved in decision-making process, they realise how their work performance affects other members in the organisation. This happens because participative decision making enables members to commit and agree on various issues. Conflict and incongruency are reduced which are major hurdles for effective coordination.

3. Principle of Continuity

Principle of continuity states that coordination should be treated as a continuous process; it should be taken on regular basis. Coordination should be treated as never-ceasing and never-ending exercise of all managers, and in all functions. Follett has stated that coordination emerges with the organisation and ends with it.

4. Principle of Dynamism

Principle of dynamism states that coordination does not work on the basis of rigid and fixed basis but on dynamic basis. Dynamism is required because changes occur in external factors which necessitate changes in the organisation and its processes including coordination. When organisational changes take place, many old organisational practices do not remain workable. This is true for coordination too.

5. Principle of Timing

Principle of timing involves that various organisational units and members should synchronise the timing of their work performance. One member of the organisation facilitates the working of another if he synchronises the timing of his work with the working of another. For example, in an assembly work, the different stages of the work are interrelated in such a way that a subsequent stage can be undertaken only when the earlier stage has been completed. In such a case, coordination of timing at different stages is important.

6. Principle of Reciprocal Relationship

Reciprocal relationship exists between two or more parties in which each party affects the functioning of others and, in turn, is affected by others. In the organisational context, various departments may have reciprocal relationship though the amount of reciprocity may not be equal. In the reciprocal relationship. if a department is affected by some functions of another department but the former does not have control over these functions, the problem of coordination arises. In this situation. the functions and the way of performing such functions are altered in such a way that these affect others positively. For example, the level of production in production department may be decided in consultation with marketing department so that optimum level of production is maintained.