By Chron Contributor Updated August 25, 2020
A lack of coordination in an organization can decrease productivity, complicate processes and delay the completion of tasks. In order to coordinate the efforts of an entire organization, the organization requires a systematic integration of a process that creates accountability within the organization. Implementing this type of process allows interdepartmental coordination throughout the organization between employees. Recognizing early signs and symptoms of not having coordination in an organization can help it prevent further damage.
Delay Causes Lack of Coordination in an Organization
Poor coordination is one of the six hidden barriers to an effective organizational strategy, reports the Harvard Business Review, and the number one signs that an organization lacks coordination is delay. When there is a lack of coordination between management, labor, production and sales, delays will result causing the organization to become ineffective. When delays become part of the operations of the organization, customer relations will suffer for the organization.
Delays create unreliability and will alienate customers from the organization. By controlling and properly managing work in progress, the organization can work to prevent delays and resulting coordination problems.
Duplication and Unclear Departmental Priorities
Another sign of a lack of coordination within an organization is redundancy. With redundancy, an organization will spend double the effort, material and time to produce the same item, or perform the same task, twice. Redundancy typically results from a lack of coordination between various departments within the organization, and a lack of clear responsibilities and functions. By implementing control measures to reduce redundancies, an organization can work toward improving overall coordination within the organization.
Lost Data
Lack of coordination, meaning the failure to operate like a well-oiled machine, is often caused by inadequate data sharing and ineffective communication, reports entrepreneurship website Young Upstarts. Organizations must effectively utilize information to function at an optimal level. When this information is not readily available as needed within the organization, the lack of information can create a cascading effect that will damage the organization.
Lack of coordination creates gaps in the acquisition and distribution of information. This in turn makes the organization’s available resources ineffective and causes it to miss opportunities. By implementing an accountability system for the information, the organization can improve coordination and minimize lost information.
Siloed Working and Inflexibility
When teams work in silos, and an organization does not support coordinated efforts, innovation and progress can become stagnant within it. This can make the organization obsolete and unable to compete against other organizations in the same industry that have adopted a coordinated effort to adapting new methods of producing and managing the organization. Inflexibility also freezes many protocols that could have potentially become productive. This happens because there is not enough coordination to gauge the effectiveness of the new protocol.
FAQs
Duplication and Unclear Departmental Priorities
What is the effect of lack of coordination in an organization? ›
DuplicationA usual sign of lack of coordination within an organisation is redundancy. This happens when there is poor communication between different employees and departments. Because of redundancy, an organisation spends unnecessary amount of time and effort to produce the same output twice.
What are the common causes for lack of coordination in between line and staff organization? ›
Usually poor communications up, down and across the organisations hierarchy and operations management together with inaccurate strategy planning and indecisive tactical control and management of the changes needed to be implemented on everyday operations immediately are the symptomatic causes of a lack of coordination ...
When there is lack of coordination? ›
Uncoordinated movement is due to a muscle control problem that causes an inability to coordinate movements. It leads to a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the middle of the body (trunk) and an unsteady gait (walking style). It can also affect the limbs. The medical name of this condition is ataxia.
What is an example of poor coordination? ›
Symptoms of Coordination Disorders. Loss of coordination prevents people from being able to control the position of their arms and legs or their posture. Thus, when they walk, they take wide steps and stagger and make broad, zigzag movements with their arms when they reach for an object.
What is a lack of coordination skills? ›
Children who are very uncoordinated for their age may have a disorder called developmental coordination disorder (DCD), or dyspraxia. These children frequently drop, break and bump into things. They may have trouble with small movements like eating with a spoon or holding a crayon.
What is poor coordination in business? ›
If there is insufficient coordination, team members have difficulty getting information from each other, completing tasks, and making decisions. If there is more coordination than required, team members will spend unnecessary time and effort on tasks, which slows the team down.
What is lack of coordination in functional structure? ›
The main challenge companies with a functional structure face is the lack of coordination between departments. Employees may lose the larger company context when focusing on very specific tasks and failing to interact with members of other departments.
What are the disadvantages of lack of coordination? ›
Limitations of Coordination in Management
Lack of Administrative Talent – While hiring employees, it is possible that some inefficient candidates get selected who do not understand the administrative procedures properly.
What are three 3 symptoms of an ineffective organizational structure? ›
Symptoms of a Structure Problem
Decisions that should be handled at lower levels of management migrate to upper levels of management. Multiple individuals are taking responsibility for the same tasks or parts thereof.
15 signs of a bad manager
- Give no or poor feedback. Feedback allows employees to evaluate their current processes and make the necessary improvements. ...
- Micromanage. Micromanagement can cause unnecessary stress and make it challenging to be productive. ...
- Dismiss your ideas. ...
- Communicate poorly. ...
- Neglect team-building.
A lack of structure
Poor management style may involve a lack of structure that is detrimental to employee development and wellbeing. This may include too few meetings, taking a long time to review a team member's work and managers not making themselves available.
What does it mean to struggle with coordination? ›
Ataxia is a medical term describing a lack of coordination. Uncoordinated movement is also known as coordination impairment or loss of coordination. For most people, body movements are smooth, coordinated, and seamless.
What is coordination difficulties? ›
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia, is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. This condition is formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation.
What is a possible result of a lack of coordination between agencies? ›
What is a possible result of a lack of coordination between agencies? Similar issues are less likely to emerge in the future. Problems can take longer to solve and cost more money. Problems take less time to solve, reducing the burden on taxpayers.
Why is coordination important in organization? ›
It allows a unified and harmonious work force to work toward a common goal, especially when strong communication is utilized. Coordination also allows for the more beneficial and efficient allocation of resources in an organization, which can reduce conflict and redundancies between individuals or departments.
What is the impact of coordination for organization process? ›
In summary, the coordination is an element of organization which seeks to ensure the subjects, objects and working processes of the interaction between time and space limits. In specialization time, all the staff works are distributed, and each organizational unit performs the tasks assigned to him.
