Coordinating – A Management Function
Coordinating – A Management Function Show
In every organization, different types of work are performed by various departments and work groups and no single department or work group on its own can be expected to achieve the goals of the organization as a whole. Hence, it becomes essential that the activities of different departments and work groups of the organization are harmonized. This function of management is known as ‘coordinating’ function. It ensures unity of action among individuals, work groups and departments, and brings harmony in carrying out the different activities and tasks so as to achieve the organizational goals efficiently. The concept of coordinating always applies to group efforts. There is no need for coordination when only single individual is working. In other words, coordinating function is the orderly arrangement of individual and group efforts to provide unity of action in the pursuit of a common goal. In an organization, all the departments must operate in an integrated manner so that the organizational goals are duly achieved. Coordinating function involves synchronization of different efforts of the various departments so that the planned objectives are achieved with minimum conflict. The significance of coordinating as a function of management mainly arises from the fact that work performed by different departments and groups form integral part of the total work for which the organization exists. Without harmonized effort or unity of action, achievement of goals in some departments may run counter to that of the other departments, or the timing of achievements may not match properly. The coordinating function of the management prevents overlapping and conflict so that the unity of action is achieved. Coordinating function of the management consists of inter-relating the various parts of the work as well as the work of different departments. It involves coordinating the various job roles and responsibilities of the employees so that they have good relationship with the co-employees while delivering the output. It also consists of developing relationship with stakeholders and the environment under which the organization operates. The significance of coordinating function becomes more important when the size and scale of operation is large in the organization. This is because of the following reasons.
Since the coordinating function of the management is very important, it is sometimes called the ‘essence’ of management. It is a function of managers in all departments and branches of the organization, and applies to all the levels of the management. It ultimately helps in reconciliation of goals, total accomplishment of organizational objectives, and maintenance of harmonious relationship between different groups and ensuring economy and efficiency in the organization. According to management experts, coordinating function of management is necessary since (i) it affects all the functions of management, viz., planning, organizing, and directing etc., and (ii) It is a mother principle of management and all other principles are included in this one principle. Different management experts have described the coordinating function of the management in the following way. “Co-ordination is orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals”. – Mooney and Reelay “Co-ordination is the integration of several parts into an orderly hole to achieve the purpose of understanding”. – Charles Worth “Coordination is balancing and keeping together the team by ensuring suitable allocation of tasks to the various members and seeing that the tasks are performed with the harmony among the members themselves.” – Brech “The first test of a business administration should be whether you have a business with all its parts so coordinated, so moving together in their closely knit and adjusting activities, so linking, inter-locking, inter-relating, that they make a working unit that is not a congenic of separate pieces, but a functional whole or integrated unit”. – Mary Parker Follett According to Mary Parker Follett, coordinating is the “Plus-value of the group”. That is, if there is good coordinating between the groups then the combined achievement of the groups will be greater than the total of the achievement of the individual group, i.e. 3+2=6. This is impossible in the physical world, but it is possible in human affairs through coordinating. Coordinating is an integral element or ingredient of all the managerial functions. It is a hidden force which binds all the other functions of management. It is required in each and every function and at each and every stage. Coordinating function cannot be separated from other functions as described below.
Coordinating function is an essential function for achieving a balanced organizational performance. The effective and efficient coordinating of internal and external organizational components help in reducing internal and external complexities and uncertainties in the organization thus increasing productivity, integrating macro and micro level organizational dynamics, connecting of roles among inter and intra organizational groups, bridging performance and trust among competing organizational groups, and defining organizational tasks and their accomplishment. With the effective implementation of the coordinating function, (i) there is clear definition of internal and external organizational interests and goals which helps in enhancing organizational reputation, (ii) there is utilization of external organizational elements in correspondence with internal organizational elements, (iii) there is an establishment of long term foundation for organizational performance and trust, (iv) there is securing of sustainable organizational relationships among unequal parties in unclear situation, which is often characterized by uncertainty, (v) there is the institutionalization of actions that help in realizing organizational vision, (vi) there is generation of higher profit through the creation of organizational focus, (vii) there is creation of organizational expertise along with strategic contents, (viii) there is the establishment of the competitive advantage for the organization, and (ix) there is establishment of result oriented structures in an organization. The more efficient coordinating at all the levels of administration results into cohesion which is achieved in a more efficient manner since coordination is a tool of cohesion. Effective and efficient implementation of the coordinating function in the organization needs the following.
Importance of coordinating function The following points highlight the importance of coordinating function of the management (Fig 1).
Fig 1 Importance of coordinating function Coordinating function of the management has two forms of coordination namely (i) vertical coordination and horizontal coordination. These two forms of coordination are described below. Vertical coordination is aimed at linking activities at higher levels and lower levels of the management for the achievement of the organizational objectives. The main parameters which determine the effective vertical coordination are (i) degree of formalization, (ii) hierarchical structure, (iii) centralization and decentralization of authority, (iv) delegation of powers, and (v) division of operational and functional positions. Formalization is the extent to which the organizational policies, tactics, rules, job descriptions and other official documents, on which the clear operational decisions are taken. It determines the expected behaviours of the employees. The degree of centralization of authority reflects the concentration of the upper levels in the organizational structure. Delegation of powers is another parameter of vertical coordination involving the transfer of responsibility and authority for the decisions of a managerial level to another immediately below. Unlike decentralization which standing downward movement of tasks and powers, the delegation is temporary, covering a period set by managers and subordinates. Operational position means a job or function constituting the organizational structure invested with authority and responsibility necessary to achieve the major objectives of the organization. Functional position is associated with a job or function designed to provide specialized knowledge and support operational work. Horizontal coordination is intended to harmonize activities in hierarchical levels similar or close, but belonging to different departments. Frequency of use increases the extent of multiplication of horizontal links information processing requirements relating to production. By facilitating the transfer of information between organizational sub-units positioned on the same levels, horizontal coordination mechanisms supplement the actions of specific vertical coordination traditional pyramid hierarchy. Four major directions are known to promote horizontal coordination are (i) buffer resources, (ii) information systems, (iii) horizontal relations (cooperation) and (iv) managers coordinators. Horizontal relations facilitate aligning employees to the same hierarchical level, to cope with sharing of complex problems without the involvement of superiors. Since the development and deployment of hierarchical lines ease the bridges between departments, offices, departments, workshops with the horizontal relations, it is sometimes called “bridge relations”. The main ways of realizing the horizontal relations are (i) direct contact made between mid-level managers or lower in order to coordinate activities and resolve complex tasks, (ii) connection through the liaison agency role exercised by a manager who handle effective communication and continuous coordination between departments performing common tasks, (ii) task forces and interdepartmental work teams are groups set up for solving specific problems. What is the logical process of coordinating resources such as employees in order to accomplish an organization's goals?Management is the logical process of coordinating resources, such as money and employees, to accomplish an organization's goals.
What is the process of influencing people to work toward a common goal?Peter Northouse (2010) defines leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p. 3).
What is the ability to influence individuals and groups to achieve organizational goals?Leadership is the ability to influence people and groups to cooperatively achieve organizational goals. Any manager who is able to get employees to do what he or she wants is a leader. The types of power that are NOT related to leadership characteristics are position and reward power.
Is the coordination of activities and resources needed to accomplish a plan?Management is the process of coordinating people and other resources to achieve the goals of an organization. Material resources are the tangible, physical resources an organization uses. Human resources are the people who staff an organization and use the other resources to achieve the goals of the organization.
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