Coordination
Coordination integrates activities of different departments and individuals to achieve goals harmoniously. Called the ‘essence of management’ — all other functions exist to enable coordination.
Nature and Importance
Not a separate function but runs through all management functions. Continuous, deliberate (doesn’t happen automatically), begins at planning stage. Importance: unifies efforts, prevents duplication, creates harmony, ensures timing, builds team spirit.
Types
Internal (within organisation) vs External (with suppliers, customers, regulators). Vertical (between management levels) vs Horizontal (between departments at same level).
Techniques
Hierarchy/chain of command, rules and procedures, planning, liaison roles, committees and task forces, meetings, technology (ERP systems, project management software).
Committees
Standing (permanent — finance, audit) vs Ad hoc (temporary, specific purpose). Advantages: pooled judgement, diverse perspectives, coordination, representation. Disadvantages: time-consuming, diffusion of responsibility, domination by vocal members, compromise over optimal decisions.
Conflict Management
Functional (constructive — better decisions, creativity) vs Dysfunctional (destructive — reduces cooperation). Strategies: Avoidance (trivial issues), Accommodation (maintain relationships), Competition (quick decisions), Compromise (both give something), Collaboration (find win-win — best for important issues). Best strategy depends on urgency, importance, and relationships.
Team Building
Effective teams have: clear goals, diverse skills, defined roles, open communication, mutual trust, constructive conflict, collective accountability. Tuckman’s stages: Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing → Adjourning. Managers must guide teams especially through storming phase.
Summary
Coordination integrates diverse activities toward common goals through hierarchy, rules, committees, and technology. Managing conflict constructively and building effective teams are key coordination skills.
Conflict Resolution Strategies Comparison
| Strategy | Approach | When to Use | Outcome | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoidance | Withdraw from conflict | Trivial issues, cooling-off needed | Lose-Lose (problem unsolved) | Ignoring minor disagreement about office AC temperature |
| Accommodation | Yield to other party | Issue matters more to them, preserving relationship | Lose-Win | Senior manager agrees to junior’s preferred schedule |
| Competition | Force your position | Emergency, quick decision needed, unpopular but necessary | Win-Lose | Manager enforces safety protocol despite worker resistance |
| Compromise | Both give something | Equal power, time pressure, temporary solution | Partial Win-Win | Marketing wants Rs 500K budget, finance offers 300K, agree on 400K |
| Collaboration | Find win-win solution | Important issues, time available, relationship matters | Win-Win (best outcome) | Two departments redesign process so both achieve their goals |
Tuckman’s Team Development Stages — Detailed
| Stage | Team Behaviour | Manager’s Role | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forming | Polite, cautious, uncertain about roles. Members test boundaries. | Provide clear direction, define goals, establish ground rules | Days to weeks |
| Storming | Conflict emerges, power struggles, frustration, some may want to quit | Mediate conflicts, encourage communication, DON’T panic — this is normal | Weeks to months |
| Norming | Norms established, cooperation develops, trust builds, roles clarify | Step back, encourage team ownership, facilitate rather than direct | Weeks |
| Performing | High productivity, collaboration, self-managing, creative problem-solving | Delegate, remove obstacles, celebrate achievements | Ongoing |
| Adjourning | Task complete, mixed emotions (satisfaction + sadness), disbanding | Recognise contributions, document lessons learned, celebrate | Days |
Key insight: Many Nepali managers panic during the storming stage and try to suppress conflict. This is a mistake — storming is a natural and necessary phase. Teams that skip or suppress storming never reach the high-performing stage. The manager’s job is to guide the team through storming, not avoid it.
Practical Example: Coordination Failure in Nepal
Nepal’s road construction problem illustrates poor coordination: a newly paved road is dug up months later for water pipes, then again for electricity cables, then again for internet cables. Each department (roads, water supply, Nepal Telecom, electricity) works independently without coordinating schedules. Solution: a coordination committee that schedules underground work BEFORE road paving, shared infrastructure maps, and joint planning meetings. This example shows why coordination is called the “essence of management” — individual efficiency means nothing if efforts aren’t synchronised.
Exam Tips
Tip 1: Conflict resolution strategies with the 5 approaches (avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, collaboration) and when to use each — very commonly tested. Tip 2: Tuckman’s 5 stages with manager’s role at each stage is a favourite exam question. Tip 3: “Coordination is the essence of management” — essay question requiring you to explain why coordination runs through all functions. Tip 4: Committees advantages vs disadvantages is frequently asked in short-answer format.