Coordination is the essence of management. …

Coordination is considered as the essence of management because of the following reasons : Coordination is needed to perform all the functions of Management 1) In planning : coordination is required between the objectives and available resources. 2)Organising: is ineffective there is lack of coordination between different departments and divisions. 3)In staffing : coordination is required between the required skills and abilities of an individual who is selected to perform a job. 4)Directing: is impossible and of no worth, if there is lack of coordination between superiors and subordinates. 5) In controlling: coordination helps in ensuring that actual results are fruitful.

Yes, Coordination is indeed the essence of management. By Coordination, we mean a path through which the group functions are linked up. It binds the people of the organisation and their activities to ensure a smooth functioning of the work. It is that force which unites the working and efforts of the people of the organisation towards the common objective of the organisation. Coordination links the interrelated functions of management. It is found at every level of management. It begins right from the stage of planning where goals and objectives are set for the organisation. Coordination is then required between the stage of planning and staffing so that right kind of people are hired for the execution of the plan. Next the functions of directing and controlling must also be coordinated with each other so as to realize the achievement of desired goals.

The following points highlight the importance of coordination in management.

(a) Harmonized Goals: In any organisation, growth is one of important goals. With growth of the organisation, its size increases and the number of personnel also increases. However, greater number of persons means more differences in thoughts and work habits that may lead to disharmony among people. Also, every individual will have his/her personal goals which may create hindrance in achieving the organisational goals. So, coordination is important so as to synchronize the personal and the overall goals in one direction.

(b) Allotted Work: Each task requires specialisation to give the requisite results. For this, every organisation hires expert for different tasks. Every specialist approaches the tasks in his own unique manner and is generally reluctant to take up any advice or suggestion form others. This may lead to diversion or conflict among various specialists in the organisation. Thus, coordination is required from an outside body such as the manager so as to integrate their opinions and thoughts.

(c) Interdependence of Divisions: An organisation has various departments and sub-departments such as production, sales, finance, etc. Every department works independently and with its own policies and objectives. For example, the sales department may want greater monetary incentives for its employees but the finance department may not approve of such incentives as it may lead to increase in the cost of the organisation. In this case, there arises a conflict between the two departments. Thus, here also coordination is needed to synchronise the activities of each department towards the achievement of common goals of the organisation.

Hence, we see that coordination is intrinsic and imperative for management. It is the ‘essence’ of management.