Co-ordinationCo-ordination

Introduction

Coordination is one of the important management functions that helps to develop a harmonious relationship among different types of activities of different organizations. Through proper coordination program targets can be achieved smoothly and easily.

Coordinating activities or a group of activities mean to bring them into proper relation with each other so as to ensure that everything that needs to be done is done and that no two people are trying to do the same activity .

Definition

Coordination is synthesizing different activities towards the achievement of the same goal.

Intra

 

Organizational Co-ordination

 

Inter

 

Coordination is the meaning of:

distributing authority;

providing channels of communication and

arranging the work so that-

- the right things are done (what)

- in the right place (where)

- at the right time (when)

- in the right way (how)

- by the right people (by whom)

When an activity is coordinated, everything works well.

A coordinated activity is orderly, harmonious, efficient and successful. When an activity is not coordinated it is liable to fail to achieve its objectives; and uncoordinated activity is disorderly, discordant, ineffective, inefficient and unsuccessful.

Principles For successful coordination one is to follow some principles which are stated below:

(1)   Directness: The coordination that makes direct interaction between responsible people is the best coordination. It helps to exchange ideas, methods more independently and removes misunderstanding.

(2)  Early start: To make the work of the organization more effectively, coordination should start from the beginning of the planning process.

3)   Dynamism: Coordination should be flexible like many other activities of management. It should be dynamic as well.

(4) Continuity: Coordination is an ongoing process. It starts with planning and continues up to monitoring and evaluation.

Aids to co-ordination In any organization coordination should be established through the voluntary cooperation among the employees. To make coordination effective the manager is to follow the following steps:

 To instill (to infuse slowly into the mind) dominant objectives: For voluntary coordination the role of main objective is very important. The workers should be motivated to follow that objective laboriously.

To develop generally accepted customs and terms: The best coordination is achieved if the workers work closely. It can happen by improving the accepted work pattern. If the employees do not know the manner, language, etiquette etc. of the organization, then they cannot be good colleagues.

 To encourage informal contacts: Informal discussion is very much important in a voluntary coordination. Discussion of an execution during tea can help much in coordination.

      

To use committees: Committees give chances for direct contact and informal exchange of opinion.

Management attitude: The attitude of an executive is very important in coordination. The manager should be cooperative in his dealing with the subordinates. There are such problems in coordination, which needs direct and personal attention of the manager.

Coordinating the work of Health

and Family Planning

After formulation of a plan, the most difficult part of the process is how to implement the plan. The plan itself is a guideline based on activities.

  A program is a group or series of continuing and related activities designed to achieve a definite purpose or objective. It is, course, an action designed to implement a plan or part of a plan. To make success of a plan series of activities are implemented. Changes take place and are integrated into existing programs or become the beginning of new programs.

For instance,

A maternal and child health program provides antenatal care to 50% of pregnant women. The objective of the plan is to extend this service over a period of time to all pregnant women. Implementing the plan means carrying out all the activities necessary for all pregnant women to receive care. The plan will then have achieved its objective if antenatal care for all pregnant women will be an integral part of the maternal care program.

As part of the management function the managers need to:

(1)   Review the plan's objectives.(2)   Review activities for each objective

and target.(3)   Check the timetable. The timetable is

essential for implementation; it states exactly when an activity must begin

and end.4) Verify assignment of responsibilities

to staff according to the activity schedules and job descriptions.

(5) Discuss the implementation with representatives of the community, health service staff and workers in other sectors, where appropriate. The community decides how it can participate.

(6) Checks the above items 1 to 5 against the seven guideline words:

why ? (who ? when ? what ?

Which?Where?

How ?

To coordinate the work of the Health and Family Planning Managers must:

Coordinate the functions of the members of the Health and Family Planning.

   Coordinate the activities.

   Communicate the decisions.

 

Management can use committee for four General purposes:

 

(1) Exchanging view and information, with understanding as the primary objective.

(2)   Generating ideas a list of alternative actions to be implemented by individual managers. Recommending as single course of action.

(3)   Solving a problem and making a decision, that binds all members.

There are some committees at district, Upazila and Union level for strengthening field level activities of Health and Family planning program. At the district level there is a family planning committee of which District Commissioner is the president and Deputy Director (FP) is the Member Secretary. Civil Surgeon, District Officers from social welfare, information, religion, education and other related agencies are the members of this committee. Deputy Director (FP) coordinates with all members for

the meeting. The committee can't work effectively and efficiently without good coordination among the members. It is a very important committee, which can contribute to a great extent for achieving family planning objectives. In such a situation coordination can help in joining the meeting of related agencies and members from Health and Family Planning program. It also helps to mitigate or resolve the barriers of the program in the field.

An example of poor coordination 

A leprosy team was formed to provide health care services on leprosy in each month at a certain treatment outpost. When the day arrived for one of these clinics, the medical assistant in charge of the health center insisted on taking the jeep to the town to obtain supplies. Without their transport the leprosy team could not keep their appointment. Patients waited in vain all day and then went home.

 

This is lack of coordination in the use of transport: the 'when' element was forgotten.

Using organizational principles

To make coordination effective, seven well recognized principles must be applied

Objective The objective of each group of tasks must contribute to the objectives of the organization as a whole.

Definition Each group of tasks must be clearly defined so that everyone knows exactly what the tasks are.

Command Each group of tasks must have one person in charge, and all concerned must know who this person is.

Responsibility The person in-charge of a team is responsible for the performance of its member.

Authority Each person responsible for a group of tasks must have authority equal to the responsibility.

Span of Control

No person in charge of a group of tasks should be expected to control more than six to ten other people.

Balance The person in charge of several groups must see that the groups balance. For instance, case finding must not be so extensive that more cases of a disease are found than can be treated.

A Coordinating Checklist

A health worker responsible for an action - any action - will find it useful to apply the following checklist:

What is to be done?

Where will the action take place?

When will the action take place?

What equipment is needed?

How will the action be arranged?

Coordinating the activities

Which members of the health team will take part?

Who outside the health team will take part?

Who will do what?

Coordinating the people

Is all necessary information available?

Has the information been communicated?

Communication

Source: 1. Principles of Management, GEORGE R.

Terry.2. Office Organization and Management,

S.P. Arora.3. Management: Don Hellriegel, Jon W.

Sloscum, Jr.4. Management Development Curriculum

for mid-level Managers at District level: NIPORT.

5. Advances in Family Health & Social Communicate: BCCP.