"Coordination is an orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of actions to pursue a common purposes".
Four characteristics of co-ordination are as follows:
(i) Coordination integrates group efforts: The need for co-ordination is felt when group effort is needed for the accomplishment of the objectives. In short, it can be said that co-ordination is related to group and not to individual efforts. The question of coordination does not arise if the entire job in done by a single person only.
(ii) Co-ordination ensures unity of action: The nature of coordination is of creating unity of action. It means that by using co-ordination process, an effort is made to create unity among the various activities of an organisation, for e.g., the purchase and sales departments have to coordinate their efforts so that the supply of goods takes place according to purchase order.
(iii) Co-ordination is a continuous process: It is not a job which can be performed once and for all, but its need is felt at every step. Many activities are performed in a business today and tomorrow. If any one activity goes on fluctuating either for more or less than required, the balance of the whole organisation disturbs. Thus, a close watch has to be kept on all the activities to maintain the balance.
(iv) Co-ordination is all pervasive function: Co-ordination is required in all the organisations in all the departments, by all the levels of management and at all the times. In other words, pervasiveness means applicability to all spheres and places uniformly.
(v) Deliberate or Conscious activity: Co-ordination is a consciously planned managerial activity. Every manager has to take deliberate actions to achieve co-ordination. In other words, co-ordination does not occur automatically, adequate measures have to be taken to achieve co-ordination.
