Situations that Makes Achieving Coordination a Very Difficult Task | Business Management (2024)

Co-ordination cannot be achieved by force or imposed by authority. Achieving co-ordination through orders is a futile exercise. There are situations or problems that make achieving coordination a very difficult task.

1. Poorly defined and understood objectives:

It will be impossible to achieve co-ordination if the goals of the enterprise are not clearly defined. Every individual and each department must understand what is expected of them by the organisation. Top management must clearly state the objectives for the enterprise, as a whole. The various plans formulated in the enterprise must be inter-related and designed to fit together. Only then the organization can be coordinated.

2. Improper division of work:

Division of work is one of the most important requisites of effective organising. If the tasks are not differentiated and assigned to individuals according to their skills and qualification, it will be quite difficult to coordinate the activities of the enterprise.

3. III-structured organization:

When the degree of formalisation, span of control degree of centralisation etc. are not clearly understood and activities are not properly departmentalised a very poorly structured organization will emerge making coordination very difficult.

4. III-defined lines of authority:

Coordination can never be achieved if the lines of authority are not clearly defined. Authority must be delegated in a clear way. The individual must know, what is expected of him by his superior(s). Once authority is accepted, the subordinate must be made accountable for results, in his work area. There should be no room for overlapping of authority and wastage of effort(s).

5. Poor communication:

A smooth flow of two-way communication is pre­requisite of co-ordination, if sound communication networks are not developed, an enterprise can never be co-ordinated. Personal contact is generally considered to be the most effective means of communication for achieving co-ordination. Other means of communication such as records, reports, may also be used in order to supply timely and accurate information to various groups in an organization.

6. Ineffective leadership:

According to McFarland, real coordination can be achieved only through effective leadership. Top management, to this end, must be able to provide:

(i) a conducive work environment,

(ii) proper allocation of work,

(iii) incentives for good work, etc. It must persuade subordinates, to have identity of interests and to adopt a common outlook.