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