Introduction
Different departments or categories are assigned different tasks. They are provided on the basis of their expertise. The staff of each department performs their duties with the aim of achieving common goals together. It is communication. Integration is a process that ensures the effective coordination of management functions. Common goals are achieved without wasting a lot of time, effort and money with the help of communication. Integration is the power that integrates all other management functions. It is a standard series that works in all areas such as purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, and finance to ensure the continuity of the organization's operations. It is sometimes regarded as a separate administrative function.
However, the essence of management is to achieve harmony between individual efforts in achieving the goals of the group. Each Management function is a separate function in communication. Coordination is clear and natural in all organizational activities.
Coordination is the process of organizing the people or their groups in order of harmony, which facilitates them to work together. They perform to function in their respective parts in perfect synchronization which eventually fulfils the goals of the company.
This harmonious function is to be termed as ‘Coordination’ which is utmost for a company to work in. Coordination is that hidden term which interconnects all important management functions such as planning, staffing, organizing, directions, and, controlling.
Importance of Coordination in Management
Coordination is not a separate function of management, in fact it is known as the “essence of management.” It is like the thread to synchronization of different managerial functions. Coordination is to be performed right from the planning stage till the controlling stage. Absence of this function will turn to be ineffective and will weaken the effect of authority-responsibility hierarchy relationship in an organisation.
Coordination initiates every function of management and makes them solid and effective which serves a purpose for the organization. It creates harmony among the individual efforts for achieving the organisational goals. This is present in all the departments of an organisation such as the production, sales, finance etc.
Coordination minimizes the conflicts, rivalries are ended, wastages, delays, indifferences and other organizational problems. It ensures smooth function of the organization. Hence, with the help of coordination an organization can fulfil its objectives promptly. Also, coordination functions help in improving the relationship in an organization. Top Level Managers coordinate their activities with the middle level managers and this helps in developing good relations among them. Likewise, the middle level managers coordinate their activities with the lower level managers and this too develops good relations with them. Again, the Lower Level Managers coordinate with the workers and develop good relations with them. Thus, coordination, overall, imposes a positive effect of relations in the organization.
Coordination is considered the essence of administrative work. The need for collaboration stems from the fact that the various aspects and efforts of an organization must be harmonized and integrated to achieve the same goals. Without proper communication between all team members, managers are not able to combine the various aspects into one coherent whole. First let us know about the importance of Coordination point wise –
Unity of Action
Enterprise has diverse resources, technique, activities etc, and these all must be in coordination so that there is unity in action.
Increase in Efficiency and Economy
Coordination brings efficiency in the departments as it is an effort of all organizational members to maintain good relations among all the levels of organization.
Development of Personnel
Coordination helps in obtaining information about job qualities of a job holder which helps to analyse about the capabilities of the job holder and this improves the coordination system.
Differential Perception
People have different perceptions but when all people are coordinated effectively their effort and power are concentrated in one direction to achieve the organizational goals.
Survival of the Organization
Coordination helps to harmonize the work resources which helps in the survival of the organization.
Accomplishment of Objectives
Their task and available resources are coordinated, which helps in their coordination.
End of Conflicts
Many conflicts and rivalries between individuals, in between departments, and also between a line and staff gets ended due to the coordination among the departments.
Coordination Paths Proper Direction
Coordination paves the path of correct direction in order of which every department works.
Coordination Facilitates Motivation
Coordination gives total freedom to the employees. This encourages them to show their talent and thus they coordinate well with the expectancy of the top level managers.
Coordination utilizes resources optimally.
Coordination unifies the human and material resources of the organization. This helps in making optimum utilization of the resources.
Unity in Diversity
Every large organization has a large number of employees, each with a different vision or ideas, activities and background. Therefore, there are different functions in an organization. However, all these activities would not be so effective without communication. Therefore, cooperation is essential for unity in diversity.
Cohesive unity
An organization needs to combine the efforts and skills of different employees to achieve the same goals. Coordination also eliminates duplication of work that leads to more efficient operations.
Optimum Utilization of Resources
In particular, coordination ensures that employees do not participate in the work of various purposes as it integrates human resources and organizational resources together. Therefore, there is little waste of resources that help the organization to use them effectively.
Promoting Team Spirit
In an organization, there are many conflicts between employees, departments, etc. Integration encourages individuals and departments to work together as a team and to achieve common organizational goals. Therefore, it promotes team spirit.
Coordination removes the conflict between the personal interests of employees and the general interests of the organization:
Individuals join an organization to meet their needs. In many cases, these needs may differ from the needs and goals of the group. In such cases, the goals of the organization and of the individual are not fully realized. When the number of individuals in an organization increases, the level of such inconsistencies increases.
Integration encompasses the impact of internal and external forces on the organization and ensures that the affairs run smoothly:
Internally, it encompasses a wide range of business resources — money, building materials, machinery and methods — to achieve common organizational goals. Outside, the environment is improved for business with due consideration for customers, employees, financiers and government. In this way, linking helps to produce better results and becomes a central point of management.
Limitation of Coordination
Now that you understand the importance of cooperating in management, you should also realize that in practice, coordination deals with specific problems. Here are the limitations of communication in management. There are also factors which hinders in the path of coordination, the limitation factors are as follows –
Difficulty in Setting of Standards
Control system minimizes its effective when standard of performance cannot be defined in quantitative terms
External Factors Not in Control
External factors like government policies, technology changes, change in fashion does not come under the ambit of an organisation, hence coordination being a part of the organization cannot control it.
Less Willingness of the Employees
Employees often resist to coordinate and as a result effectiveness of coordination reduces.
Benefits of coordinating a system apart from the limitation is quite beneficial for an organization to function.
Lack of Management Talent
When hiring staff, it is possible to select some less efficient ones who do not understand good management processes. This can lead to ineffective interactions.
Misunderstandings
In a large organization, hundreds of employees work together and participate every day. Ideally, they should be cohesive and work as a team. In many cases, however, misunderstandings arise between employees that create a problem in cooperation.
This was the complete discussion on the coordination, its importance and its limitations.
FAQs on Importance and Limitation of Coordination
1. What is the Need of Coordination?
Coordination helps the human and material resources of the organization to work in synchronization. Optimum utilization of resources are initiated in the process of coordination which in turn helps to achieve the objectives of the organization.
2. Why is Coordination Called the Essence of Management?
Coordination coordinates the work of different departments, they synchronize with each other including the resources, it integrates all functions of management and hence known as the essence of management.
3. Give Examples of Coordination.
An example of coordination is - a gymnast walks on a tightrope without tripping, two people working together, planning or coordinating to host a party.