Coordination

Planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling could each be performed correctly in isolation and yet the organisation could still fail — if the departments and individuals carrying them out are not working in harmony with one another. Coordination is the function that ensures this does not happen; it is why coordination is often called the essence of management rather than a separate, sixth function standing apart from the rest.

Meaning

Coordination is the process of synchronising and integrating the activities, efforts and time of different individuals and departments in an organisation, so that unified action is taken in the pursuit of a common objective. It does not create new work; it harmonises work that is already being done by different people and departments so that it fits together smoothly.

Features of Coordination

• Coordination integrates group efforts. It brings together the diverse activities of individuals and departments into a single, unified effort.
• It ensures unity of action. Even though different departments (production, marketing, finance) do very different work, coordination keeps them all pointed at the same overall organisational goal.
• Coordination is a continuous process. It is needed at every stage — planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling all need to be coordinated with each other, and this coordination has to be maintained throughout the life of the organisation.
• Coordination is a deliberate function. It does not happen automatically; managers must consciously and deliberately work to achieve it, especially as an organisation grows larger and more complex.
• Coordination is the responsibility of all managers. Like staffing and directing, coordination is not confined to top management alone — every manager coordinates the work of the people and units under them.

Coordination as the "Essence of Management"

Coordination is described as the essence of management because it is not a separate, standalone activity performed at a particular point in time — instead, it runs through, and is achieved by way of, all the other five functions. When a manager plans, they coordinate the objectives of different departments into a single overall plan. When they organize, they coordinate the division of work and reporting relationships between people. When they staff, they coordinate the skills of different employees so they complement rather than duplicate one another. When they direct, they coordinate the day-to-day efforts of individuals working on related tasks. When they control, they coordinate the corrective actions across departments so improvements in one area do not create new problems in another. In this sense, coordination is not the sixth function performed after the other five — it is the thread woven through all of them.

Importance of Coordination …