Topic: Coordination

Paper Name: Elements of Public Administration

Semester: First
Unit: IV

I. Introduction
A battle may be lost, how much strong the forces maybe, if there is no coordination among the
various wings, divisions and units of the army. Efforts have to be synchronized if the object in
view is to be achieved without much cost. As in battle, so in administration. No organization,
how much competent its staff may be, can achieve the desired objective without coordination.
Thus, coordination is one of the first and a vitally important principle of organization.

II. Meaning of Coordination

The term ‘coordination’ is defined as the process of bringing about unity and harmony of
functioning among the diverse elements and sub-system of an organization. Coordination has
both positive and negative connotations. Positively, it means bringing about cooperation and
teamwork among the persons and units of an organization. Negatively, it means removing
conflicts, inconsistencies, friction, overlapping and working at cross purposes among persons
or units of an organization. People combine in an organization to achieve common goals. Every
organization is characterized by specialization and division of work. Different persons perform
different functions. Coordination is the means for correlating all the functions performed by
various parts. It performs the important role of unifying the activities of all the personnel
engaged in an organization.

III. Need for Coordination

In every organization, the need for coordination rests upon the below factors:
a) The need to avoid overlapping and confusion in the organization.
b) To curtail the tendency among employees to attach too much significance to their work and
deemphasize other's work.
c) The need to curb the growing tendency towards empire-building or greed for power on the
part of some parts of the organization.
d) The need to avoid conflict as far as possible and in case of conflict emerges, the need to
resolve it through appropriate action and coordination of interests.
e) To meet the requirements of a growing number of organizational units.
f) To check the narrow perspective of specialists who engage in different and specific aspects
of work.
Coordination is thus essential for organizational efficiency. It may take two forms: 1)
coordination of various activities 2) coordination of individuals.

IV. Features of Coordination

a) Coordination is applied to group-efforts not individual efforts. It is an orderly arrangement
of group efforts.
b) Coordination is a continuous and dynamic process.
c) Coordination emphasizes the unity of efforts which is the heart of the coordination process.
It makes the individual efforts integrated with the total process.
e) Coordination is executive responsibility and calls for a conscious and deliberate effort on
the part of administrators at all levels.
f) Coordination has a common purpose of getting organizational objectives achieved.
V. Principle of Coordination
Coordination should be based on certain definite principles. Mary Parker Follett points out
certain principles for achieving coordination. They are:
a) Principle of early starting: coordination should start from the early stages of activities
because coordination delayed is coordination denied. A work started without coordination in
beginning may result in difficulties in the way of coordinated later.
b) Principle of direct contact: coordination can be brought about in an organization through
direct contact, irrespective of one’s position in the organizational hierarchy. So that problems
in the way of coordination could be understood and settled. Communication in oral form
through personal contacts is more effective to convey and understand ideas, suggestions, views,
feelings etc.
c) Principle of reciprocity: There should be mutual advantage concerning all factors in the
situation like production, selling, financing and management. Or in other words, coordination
as the reciprocal relating of all factors in a situation and taking into account also the inter-
relationships themselves. Or This principle states that all the factors in a situation like men,
materials and environment are reciprocally related.
d) Principle of continuity: coordination is a dynamic process. The process of coordination
should continue to the life of the organization itself. From planning to activity and from activity
to further planning. We should not revoke it at any stage of the organization.

VI. Types of Coordination

Coordination is classified as:
a) Internal and External Coordination
Internal coordination also called as functional coordination is concerned with the coordination
of the activities of individuals working within an organization unit.
External coordination also called as structural coordination is concerned with the coordination
of the activities of different organizational units.
b) Horizontal and Vertical Coordination
Horizontal coordination refers to the securing of inter-relation between one employee and
another, between one section and another, between one branch and another, between one
division and another and between one department and another.
Vertical Coordination exists within a department where the departmental head is called upon
to coordinate the activities of all those placed below him. Or in other words, vertical
coordination is established between an officer and his employee, a branch and a division, and
a division and a department.
c) Procedural and Substantive Coordination
Procedural coordination is exemplified by the structure of the organization itself that defines
the pattern of formal relations among its member. Or in other words, the procedural
coordination is meant the specification of the organization itself i.e. the generalized description
of the behaviours and relationships of the members of the organization.
Substantive coordination is coordination with the content of the organization’s activities. Or in
other words, substantive coordination is concerned with the content of the activities of the
organization.

VII. Techniques of Coordination

Coordination can be affected automatically or deliberately. Automatic coordination is possible
in a small-scale organization, where the head of the organization personally knows and controls
everybody working therein. He acts as the coordinator. In a big organization, there are always
to be found several units or sections and the span of control of each official is limited. Their
coordination is to be deliberately planned or arranged. It is to be achieved through coercive or
voluntary methods. Coercive coordination can be achieved through organizational hierarchy.
The work may be coordinated by the orders of the superior to the subordinates, reaching from
the top to the bottom. Voluntary coordination can be secured by mutual adjustments and
agreements. Always remember, voluntary coordination should be given preference over
coercive coordination. The following below are given the techniques or means of
coordination’s.
a) Planning: it is an important instrument of coordination, it set the targets to be achieved in
the given period without any kind of confusion. It involves an organized and planned use of
men and resources for securing definite and defined objectives and goals. It can avoid conflicts
and waster of efforts and resources.
b) Clear lines of Authority and Responsibility: The line of authority and responsibility in
every organization, which indicates as to who is accountable to whom, should be clearly
defined to achieve coordination.
c) Mechanism of Organizational Hierarchy: A sort of coercive coordination can be brought
through the mechanism of organizational hierarchy. If there is a conflict between various
departments, the common official superior gives orders and his orders are binding upon them.
d) Informal means of Coordination: Informal means of coordination, like developing
friendly contacts among one another, maintaining of links, meetings in clubs, restaurants and
hotels, and attending some common functions, enable the personnel to come closer to each
other. Occasional informal exchange of information and discussion can help the process of
coordination.
e) Effective Communication: Proper and timely communication operating from top to bottom
and bottom to top helps to sort out the differences and to bring out coordination. There exists
a vertical, horizontal and diagonal communication channels to transmit messages and
information orally or in writing among the diverse organizational units.
f) Standardization of Procedures and Methods: Standardization of procedures and methods
ensures that every worker in the organization will act in the same way under similar
circumstances. This results in inculcating advance awareness of one another’s activities, among
the members of the group and thus making them cooperate with each other.
g) Institutional or Organizational Devices: Coordination can be affected by institutional or
organizational devices like inter-departmental committees, coordination officers, planning
commissions or boards. Coordination is secured through these bodies by exchange of ideas and
through consultation. An inter-departmental committee is often used for achieving
coordination among different departments.
h) Through Leadership: Good leadership is one of the most important techniques of
coordination. Under an inspiring and qualitative leadership, the workers work as a team and
put in their best efforts to achieve their goals. Effective and alert leadership can avoid conflicts
through personal contacts and by successfully combining formalism with informalism.

VIII. Hindrances to Coordination

For organizational effectiveness and efficiency, it is essential to secure coordination in the operations
of every organization. Since coordination has to be secured consciously by having recourse to various
techniques. It also becomes imperative that possible hindrances in the way of coordination should be
identified and eliminated. Some of the hindrances to effective coordination are:
a) Enormous growth in the size of public administration.
b) Lack of administrative skills and adequate knowledge of required techniques on the part of
executives.
c) Lack of leadership quality like knowledge, experience, wisdom and character among the superiors.
d) Uncertainty of the future behaviour of individuals and of groups.
e) Lack of proper methods for developing, considering, perfecting and adopting new ideas and
programmes.