Coordination Concept of Leadership
Coordination Concept of Leadership
Coordination is the unification, integration, and synchronization of the efforts of group members to achieve common goals. It binds all the other functions of management, ensuring unity of action. According to Mooney and Reelay, “Co-ordination is the orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals.” Charles Worth defines it as “the integration of several parts into an orderly whole to achieve the purpose of understanding.”
Management achieves coordination through its basic functions: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Coordination is not a separate function but an inherent aspect of all managerial activities. It is the essence of management and crucial for harmonizing individual efforts towards group goals.
Role of Coordination in Managerial Functions
- Coordination through Planning:
- Planning integrates various plans through mutual discussion and idea exchange, ensuring coherence between different budgets, such as finance and purchases.
- Coordination through Organizing:
- As per Mooney, coordination is central to organizing. When managers assign activities and create departments, they aim to ensure coordination among all elements.
- Coordination through Staffing:
- Ensuring the right number of personnel with appropriate skills in various positions guarantees that the right people are in the right jobs, fostering coordination.
- Coordination through Directing:
- Orders, instructions, and guidance are effective only when there is harmony between superiors and subordinates, ensuring coordinated efforts.
- Coordination through Controlling:
- Managers compare actual performance with standard performance, ensuring coordination between what is done and what was planned, to achieve organizational goals.
Summary
Coordination is the essence of management, integral to all its functions. It is necessary at every stage and cannot be separated from planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Coordination ensures that individual efforts align with group goals, creating a harmonious and efficient organizational environment.