Why Coordination is called the Essence of Management ?

Co-ordination is the Essence of Management

"Co-ordination is the Essence of Management." The meaning of this sentence implies, Co-ordination affects all the functions of management. In other words, Co-ordination affects Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Communication, Leading, Motivating and Controlling.

1. Planning and Coordination

According to Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell, "Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it and who is to do it."

There are many departmental plans in a business. These include, Purchase Plan, Sales Plan, Production Plan, Finance Plan, etc. All these plans must be coordinated (brought together) and one Master Plan must be made for the full business. Therefore, Planning is affected by Coordination.

2. Organising and Coordination

There are many steps in Organising. All these steps must be coordinated, for achieving the objectives of the business. The Top Level Managers must coordinate the efforts of the Middle Level Managers. Similarly, the Middle Level Managers must coordinate the efforts of the Lower Level Managers. Furthermore, the Lower Level Managers must also coordinate the efforts of the workers. Therefore, Organisation is affected by Coordination.

3. Staffing and Coordination

Staffing involves Recruitment and Selection, Training, Placement, Promotion, Transfer, etc. All these steps must be properly coordinated. Similarly, the efforts of all the individuals, groups and departments must be coordinated for achieving the objectives of the business. Therefore, Staffing is affected by Coordination.

4. Directing and Coordination

Directing means giving necessary information, proper instructions and guidance to sub-ordinates. This results in coordination. Therefore, Direction is affected by Coordination.

5. Communicating and Coordination

Many types of communication methods are used in a business. These methods include, Formal communication, Informal Communication, Upward Communication, Downward Communication, Oral Communication, Written Communication, etc. It is important to note that, all these types of communication must be properly coordinated. Lack of proper coordination will hinder the smooth functioning of the communication process. Furthermore, it will also restrict the important information flow and cause many economic problems to the business. Thus, Communication is affected by Coordination.

6. Motivating and Coordination

There are many types of Motivation. These are, Positive Motivation, Negative Motivation, Financial Motivation, and Non-Financial Motivation. All these types of Motivation must be properly coordinated. Therefore, Motivation is affected by Coordination.

7. Leading and Coordination

Every manager must be a good leader. He must coordinate the efforts of his subordinates for achieving the objectives. That is, he must coordinate the human resource. He must also coordinate the material and financial resources of the organisation. In short, a leader cannot survive without coordination. In other words, leadership cannot be performed without coordination. Therefore, Leadership is affected by Coordination.

8. Controlling and Coordination

In Controlling the standards are first fixed. Then the performances are measured. Performances are compared with the standards, and the deviations are found out. Then the deviations are corrected. So, controlling involves many steps. All these steps must be properly coordinated. If coordination is not proper, Control will surely fail. Therefore, Control is also affected by Coordination.

Conclusion On Coordination

Now we can conclude that all the functions of management are affected by coordination. Hence coordination is essential for achieving the objectives of the organisation. It is also required for the survival, growth and profitability of the organisation. Coordination encourages team spirit, gives right direction, motivates employees, and makes proper utilisation of resources. Therefore, Coordination is rightly called the "Essence of Management".