Question 5 (b)
Coordination as the *essence of management* (short note)
5 marks
- Time to write
- About 10 minutes
From an older CBCS paper
Question
Question 5 (b) · 5 marksWrite short notes on any three from the following:
- Coordination as the Essence of Management
Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.
Before you write
Read off the question and its marks
Read from the question
- any threeThe paper asks for any 3, and this is one of them. Only 3 are marked: a fourth earns nothing.
- short notesA note opens with the meaning, then two or three key points. No long introduction.
Write it in this order
- Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
- 1 Meaning of coordination 1 mark 1 min
- 2 Why it is the essence of management 2 marks 3 min
- 3 Coordination and cooperation 1 mark 2 min
- 4 Example 1 mark 2 min
- Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 1 min
Easy marks
- Meaning of coordination (step 1, 1 mark): a definition in one or two lines. It opens the answer, so it takes a minute or two.
Try it first. About 10 minutes for 5 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.
Solution
Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.
Coordination means keeping the work of the various departments in step with one another, so that the efforts of individuals and groups are arranged in an orderly way and lead to unity of action towards common objectives. It ensures that planned objectives are achieved with as little conflict as possible, and it gives diverse interests a common focus, binding the departments together. It is needed both across departments at the same level, called horizontal coordination, and between levels, called vertical coordination.
1Boxes pile in the godown, the truck waits empty, accounts argue—everyone busy, nothing fitting.
CoordinationCoordination is the work of fitting together what different people and departments do.
2Everyone around one table, one plan in the middle—the pieces finally match.
Direct contactCoordination is best achieved through face-to-face contact between the people concerned.
3Packing, loading, delivery, handover: one line, hand to hand.
One working wholeIt is what turns specialised parts into one working whole.
Why coordination is the essence of management
- It runs through every function. Coordination is sometimes taken to be a separate function, but it is implicit in all of them: each function contributes to it in its own way. Like the thread that holds a garland together, it forms part of every managerial function.
- It begins with planning and never stops. It starts at the planning stage and continues through organising, staffing and directing to controlling, as a continuous process rather than a one-time act.
- It is every manager's job. Top managers coordinate with their subordinates to see that overall policies are carried out, middle managers coordinate with both top and first-line managers, and operating managers coordinate the work of their workers. It is done consciously and deliberately.
- Modern organisations cannot work without it. High specialisation, growth in size and the division of work into separate departments, each with its own objectives and style, all create interdependence that only coordination can link to common goals.
The two are different, and each side depends on the other. Cooperation is the willingness of members to work together; coordination gives that willing spirit a direction. Cooperation without coordination may waste effort, and coordination without cooperation may leave employees dissatisfied.
During a festive sale, an online retailer's warehouse at Bhiwandi near Mumbai must match its stock purchases to the expected orders, add packing staff on the right shifts, and book delivery partners for the right days. If purchase, packing and delivery each plan on their own, parcels pile up or customers wait. The warehouse head's real work is to keep the three moving together, and that work is coordination.
Where the 5 marks sit
| # | Component | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meaning of coordination | 1 |
| 2 | Why it is the essence of management | 2 |
| 3 | Coordination and cooperation | 1 |
| 4 | Example | 1 |
| Total | 5 |
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