UNIT 21 DIVISION OF WORK AND COORDINATION

Structure
21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 0bje.crives Introduction Why Divide Work? Bases of Work Division
21.3.1 21.3.2 21.3.3 21.3.4 Organisation By Purpose Organisation By Process Organisation By Persons Organisation By Place
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21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7.

.Advantages of Division of Work Limitations of Division of Work Meaning and Definition of Coordination Why is Coordination .Necessary?
21.7.1 21.7.2 21.7.3 21.7.4 To Eliminate Conflict 1'0Eliminate Unhealthy Competition 1'0 Ensure Economy and Efficiency 1'0 Achieve Goals

21:8 Techniques of Coordination

21.8.1 'Planning 21.8.2 Consultation 21.8.3 Conferences and Comniittees 21.8.4 Standardisation of Procedures 21.8.5 Written Instructions -

21.9 21.10 21.11 21.12 21.13

Hindrances to Coordination Let Us Sum Up Key Words . Some lJseful Books . Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

21.0 OBJECTIVES
After the study of the Unit, you should be able to: explain the need and bases of division of work describe the importance of coordination in public organisations. and discuss the techniques of coordination and limitations in achieving coordination.

:21.1 INTRODUCTION
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i:n mod;r,. +. ..-is=< 5nd the emergence of organisations - both large and small - . where multitude GC men and womeiwork together to realise the goals for which the organisationswere created. In these organisations. you woulcl also find division of work and specialisation. Division of work becornes inevitable in any group activity. In fact, this can beconsidered as an indispensable foundation of group effort. Division of work is the only way for transforming a mob of people into a cohesive, constructive and
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organisation'. Though, the importance of divisibn of labour was emphasised by Adam !;mith in his 'Wealth of Nations', this has been a neglected aspect of admirlistratio~z and management. If divisi0.n of work is necessary and inevitable for the performance of functions c.fficiently,their integration and coordination become mandatory. Only through and synchronisation of efforts become possible SO that, coordination, ~ntegration -objectives of the organisatiorls can be realised. Only through coordination,-conflicts

,an be removed, differences ironed out ant1 goals realised. Because of the importance ~fcoordination in organisations, James Mooncy called it 'the first principle ot )rganiiation'. Thus, in modern organisations, you find division of work and :o,>rdlnationof divided work. In this unit, you will study the need, importance and the xocess of division of work and importance, methods and problems of achieving :oordir,ntion in modern organisations.

21.2 WHY DIVIDE WORK?

Dlvis~on of work has become inevitable because of the limitations of both physical and rnerital capabilit~es of individuals. The earliest division of work-was witnessed in the family where the man went out in search of food and provided security and the women cooked food and looked after the children. With the passage of time, the nature of production underwent modifications. The onset of industrial revolution and introduction of machincry accentuated the need for division of work. Digision of work becomes necessary because of several reasons. In the first place men d~ffcr in t h e ~ capacity r and skills. No two individuals are similar in capacity either pllyvcal or mental. Some individuals are endowed with immense physical strength and tbcy are capab!e of undertaking the work requ~ring physical stamina. The m i ~ e r working rn the cold mines. the unskilled labour working on the construction site, and thc armcd jawan guard~ng the frontier require considerable amount of physical capac~tv. e n the otherhand, policy makers, scholars in pursuit of basic research, \c~cntists working in research laboratories require mental abilities of a very high order. 'Fhat way dlffercnt types of tasks require different types of skills either physical or mental. Hence in an organisation, division of work in accordance with the capacity of the individa~afs becan~es necessary. Divis~on of work also becomes necessary because the same man cannot be at two places at the same time. An individual is not in a position to manage different activities arone. A petty shop keeper could attend to all the tasks like that of the manager, the cashier and the store keeper. However, in large scale organisations there is need for deployment of people at different places. The example of the Commissioner of Police in a city can be cited as an illustration. The Commissioner of City Police has jurisdiction over a large area covering say 100 square miles and also population running into n~i!lions.The comn~issioner provides broad guidelines. Deputv commissionern. assi:jtant commissioners, circle inspectors and the constabulary implement his decisiuns operating froin different police stations. Thus the policy decisions of the state governments are taken by the cabinet and the council of ministers, but they are implemented by thousands of officers who are posted in different offices of the state govcrn~nents at the district, taluq and village level. One ma11cannot do two things at the same time. Every individual is endowed with certain rmntal capacity which enables hfm to concentrate on one aspect of work at a given point of time. You know that a 5tenographer can take dictation first and then only will be able L o type. Me cannot do both the things simultaneously. A telephone operator manr;ing the boarci can attci~d lo one call at a time and not several calls. The range of knowledge and skills are expanding very fast. No individual can galn mastery over all facets of knowledge. The field of medicine, for example, is so vast that it 1s not possible for the doctors to gain mastery over all branches of medicine. Consequzntly, they co11ccntrate on a specific aspect like surgery or pathology, or biochemistry. Within surgery itself they concentrate on neuro surgery, cardiac:urgery, etc.

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21.3 BASES OF WORK DIVISION ---

Approaches to the divisilm of work is a much debated subject, but no theories or clear-cbt so:iations have emerged. As a result. a wide variety of methods are adopted for the divisicjn of work. The), only provide broad guidelines rather than exact technique-s to help the execufzve. Broadly, while dividing work, consistent methods

have to be kept in mind. Several authors have explained several ways of divid~ng the work. For example, Luther Gulick suggested the '4 Ps' bases of departmentalisation, whercas, Ncwman suggested products, location, customers, prcrccsses and functions as the bases tor dividing the work. More or less, following Gulisk's bases, Millet praposed purpose, process, products, persons and places as the bases .of dep;rtmentalisation. As there is no accepted method of work division, needs of organisation and situations determine the bases to be followed and work to be aivided. Similarly, each of the bases will have-its advantages and disadvantages and keeping in view the advantages, the work should be divided. In Public Administration, the most important problem is how to divide the governmental work so that, the functions of government can he carried out efficiently, effectively and economically. Though there is no accepted bases, Gulick's '4 Ps' bases, namcl y, purpose, process. people and place have generally been accepted by all writers. In what follows. we would study the four bases of departmental organisation.

Dtvi+ionnf Work and Ccnrdlnstiaa

21.3.1 Organisation by Purpose

One of the well accepted bases for division of work is purpose or function. A function can be defined as a Lrge block of inter-related activities fulfilling a certain major objective by the Government. The Department of Defence can be cited as an example. The major purpose of the defence department is to ensure the protection of the country against the external aggression and defend the cuuntry's frontiers. All the inter-related activities connected with the achievement of this major purpose are located within this particular organisation. There are a few advantages in division of work or establishing organisations on the basis of purpose. It makes possible for the satisfactory accomplishment of the given objectives since all the inter-related aspects of the activity are under the imqediate control of the head of the organisatioo. It enables the people also to understand the working of different departments or the government. It also encourages the full-time attention being paid to achieve the results. However, there are certain disadvantages also. It is not possible to eliminate overlapping of functions because the work of one department may Also be found in another department. For example, the functions of education overlaps with the health and vice-versa. It may also result in centralisation of authority and each department trying to emphasise its own function leading to unnecessae conflict. This approach also may not encourage the updating of skills because the department concentrates only on the major purpose.

21.3.2 Organisation by Process

Organisation can be established on the basis of skills needed or the process. For there is a centralised pool of example, typing is a skill and in ~everal'or~anisations typists. The nursing tepartment in a hospital is based on professional expertise in nursing p~afession. The department of civil sngineering in the government is tonne,::.! with the planning, design, construction, maintenanze and other phases of civil engineering work.

Jnan era of prufessionalisation, organisation on the basis oS process ensures not only
tipdating of skills but also maxirniSes utiliqation of technical skills. Proceqs& encourages use of labour saving devices and contributes to an increase In production. The concentration of talent in a single agency also enables the tackllng of problems in a sustained manner. Organisation by process, facilitates career planning and development. But this approach may lead to over emphasis being laid on specialisation forgetting the needs and requirements of the general public. It 1s also possible that organisatio~s built around a profession or skill show resentment In acceptirlg democratic control.

21.3.3 Organisation by Persons

The major goal of Public Administration is t o serve the community. Organisat' zon:. be established on the basis of persons to be served. The Directorate of Child ~ r r d Women Welfare, the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. tha: Directorate of Tribal Welfare are a few. examples of this principle.

Concepts b OrgnnLwtion-I

Creation of departments on the basis of persons to be served contributes enormously to the improvement of the conditions of such people. The basis ensures proper appreciation and full time attention on the problems of the target groups like scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the handicapped, which otherwise would not have received the much needed attention. But this basis of organisation does not encourage specialisation. Secondly, there may be considerable amount of duplication and conflict in this agency. It is also possible that the pressure groups may become over active and favour seeking individuals may try to influence the decisionmakers.

21.3.4 Organisation by Place

Finally, the organisations can also be established on the basis of area to be served. The zonal railways, the areal divisions within the ministry of external affairs, the Damodar Valley Authority, etc., are good examples of agencies established on the basis of area to be covered. 'The major strength of organising departments on the basis of area is that immediate attention can be bestowed on the problems of a particular area. Areal approach encourages decentralisation and flexibility. On the other hand, the weakness of this particular mode of organisation is that the uniformity may have to be sacrificed and integrated approach would be difficult to achieve.

21.4 ADVANTAGES OF DIVISION OF WORK

Division of work in any organisation;esults in certain advantages. In the first place, the efficiency of the organisation will improve because officials are deployed on the basis of their capacity, aptitudes and skills. It is customary for the chief executive of any organisation to distribute the work on the basis of the aptitude of different individuals. It is possible that Mr. A may be very good in dealing with confidential matters and is entrusted the task of handling delicate security matters. Another ingividual may be very communicative, articulate and has a capacity to listen and that individual may be made use of in the public relations department. A third individual may show an aptitude for doing analytical work and his services can be utilised in the research department. In the ultimate analysis division of work results in the deployment of individuals on the basis of their aptitudes. Division of work also leads to increase in production. The adop~ion of assembling line technique in an automobile factory can be cited as an example. ' h e production of various components of an automobile are taken up in different units in a factory, the components are assembled together and the car rolls out of the factory. Since each unit concentrates only on the manufacture of a particular component, efficiency is likely to increase and speedy output made possible. Division of work within reasonable limits also ensures economy as it would encourage the optimum utilisation of the time, resources and skills.

21.5 LIMITATIONS OF DIVISION OF WORK

Even though division of work is inevitable in any organisation, it cannot be practised beyond certain logical limits. Certain norms are to be followed in the division of labour. One of the important requirements is that the division of work should be confined to such a level so as to require the full time attention of a single individual. Any further division may lead to dispersal of energy and effort. Division of work is also influenced hv the level of skills, volume of work. time. space and technologv. peculiar to a particular branch of activity. If division of work is inevitable, it is equally necessary to ensure integration of the efforts of different individuals. This is achieved through coordination. Division of work is an important managerial tool. This is fundamental to modern Public he Administration. In fact with the growth of kmwledee and professions, there w~ll greater need for specialisation and much more spcc~alisation in work division. As work division increase; the need for coordination a150 increases. Therefore, in the remaining part of this unit. we will discuss about coordination.
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Check Your Progress 1 Note: i) Use thk space below for your answers. ii) Check your answers with those given at the end of the unit.

Division of Work and Coordinalinl

1 -What are the reasons for division of work?

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2 What are the bases of division of work?

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3 What are the advantages and limitations of division of work?
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Coordination has both positive and negative connotations. In the negative sense, coordination aims at removing conflict or ironing out differences of opinion in relation to particular goals to be achieved.
In any organisation, where work is divided among different groups of.people, the outcome will depend upon cooperation extended. For instance, In any factory. the personnel division should ensure the availability of skilled manpower. the stores division should be able to supply the raw material and the finance division should be able to provide funds. Each unit should be able to cooperate with other and ensure the timely availability of the various inputs, so that production does not suffer. Thus. coordination involves removal of obstacles as well as instilling n sense of team spirit. "Coordination is the integration of the several parts into an orderly whole to acb~cvt the performance of the undertaking". Thc zlassir-al example of a rilusical orchestra would indicate the meaning of this definition. In an orchestra, difterent instrurncni% at e played by different artists. However, the synchronication efforts of each rnt~\ic'll instruments to produce pleasant music depends upon the coordination ensured through music director or the conductor.

Coorciinaaion har been defined by Seckler Hudson an "an important duty of inicrrcelating the various parts of the work." The General Manager of Zonal Railway presidles over a network involving different types of activities. The maintenance of the locosn~otives and the rolling stock is the work of the Mechanical Eng~neering staff. The r;:aint enance of track is the work of the Chief 1nspectc.r of Permanent Ways. The nlovelment of differeilt trains is controlled by the Traffic Controller. The Station Superintendent and his staff ensure the proper arrival and departure of trains as well as lookir~gafter t3ine requirements of passengers.The s a r e s department provides supply of raw m laterial, the finance department looks after flnance inputs, the personnel department looks after the work force. The General Manager, after dividing the work amon15 different groups also has to integrate the different parts in such a manner that the tirnely movement of trains is ensured.

21.7 WHY IS COORDINATION NECESSARY?

I n any enterprise wherein more than one individual is working, coordination becomes n~cr.s\ary.Administration is essentially a group activity involving hundreds of officials t l ~ ~ h ; t r g different ~ng types of activities, Differences may arise because of the different perceptions about a problem or the emphasis that is being laid upon by different sectors.

Within the organisatisa, the importance attached to timely disposal of business differ between the head of the organisation and the rank and file. While the head of the organisation may give great emphasis on quick disposal of files, the officials who are de'aling with the files may complain that quick disposal becomes difficult for want of concerned data, related papers and cooperation from other sections: While the afore-mentioned aspects are generalisations, coordination in an organisation becomes necessary for the following reasons.

26.7.1 To Eliminate Conflict

You may wonder as to how conflicts arise in the course of day-to-day administration. I n a welfare state, administration caters to the multiple needs of different sections of society. The classic example of rational use of land in a growing metropolis highlights the conflict of interests. The Town Planning-Department and Urban Development Authorities may have zonal plans. However, the real estate operators, builders, industrialists and the traders have their own priorities which may run counter to zonal plans. The use of water flawing througl~ rivers is also a matter of conflict between different states. The governments of Maharabhtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have their own view points regarding the use of the water to be used by eachof them from the river Krishna. These conflicts have to be resolved. The location of a nuclear power plant can become an issue. Objections may emanate from the Department of Environment, Society for the Protection of Environment, the people who would be affected by the decision because they have to sell land.

21.7.2 To Eliminate Unhealthy competition

Competition within limits ensures better performance among the participants. But if the competition becomes unhealthy, leading to deadlock, it would result in delay in the execution of work. There is an usual tendency in the government departments that they should spend more money than the previous year; and their budget estimate should be more than any other sister departments. The classic example of the department of food asking money for importing foodgrains and the department of agriculture requesting nlassive investment to boost agricultural production in the same year speaks about carnrpetition between the two agencies within the sirigle Ministry. The competitiori bctwcen diflelent district health officers to achieve the target of family planning some rimes. results in sterilisations being conducted on old people and even children. The unhealthy competition between different airlines to offer attractive tour package may result in losses to certain companies. There should not be unhealthy competition between railways and road transport and the more important objective should be ensuring speedy and safe transportation of goods and services.

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21.7.3 To Knsure Economy and Etliciency

.4n important aspect of efficient management is that the goals of a n orgarrisation ;uc to be achicved within stipularcd time and cost. Any delay results in the itpv\;;irdrevision of cost. This ca:i be achicved only if there is direction from the top to ensure timely progress of work with men, material and money heing available at tire right place and Elccericals L iniited at the correct time. 'The erection of machinery in the Hliarat H e a ~ y at Bhopal can be cited as a classic example of the lack of coordination r.e!;ulaing in the delay and increased cost. T h e factory was coming up at Bhbpal and Aerrvy machirlery was imported from the continent. From Bombay Port. it had to hc rnoved to !3hcpal by train. When the machinery arrived at Bombay, it was realised that the available wagons could not transport tlie same over the Western Ghats. Hence, the ship was divertcd from Bombay to Caicutta Port. This meant extra expenditurc: as well as delay. Since the South Eastern Railway did not have adequate wagons of the stipula~ed size, tlne ships had t o wait for another four wceks resulting in the payment of deniu~-ragc ch;crges. Anticipating the arrival of the machinery, labour war, ernployeci ant1 they could iaot he sent back because of the delay in the arrival of the machinery. With the rcsult, not nnlv was there time lag but also extra expenditurc. This can be attributed to bad planning and lack of <.oordinatiorr.

D i r i!,io~~ 01 Wurk and C'u~,rdinaIkon

21.7.4 To Achieve Goals

In any e n t e q r i s e , achievement of goals is conditioned by coordination. 'I'he example of a general hospital would illustrate the necessity ftir coordination to achieve thc objective of providing timely health and medical attention to the patients. 'I'he hospital administration is essentially an example of team work of surgeons, doctors, riurscs, pathologists, bio-chemists. lab technicians. class IV employees, administrabors, pharniacists, etc. T h e team needs t o be provided direction and coordination by the superintendent of the hospital s o that services are avaiiahli t o the ncedy patients.
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21 -8 TECHNIQUES OF COBRDINATICJN --.-.---~.-.-----.--d.-.-.---...

By nowl yo:^ sliip~ld have o.~nderstood the impcrr~;~lace of conr:iimati:m in group effors. While coortlinaiiorl is inevitable it is i n p o i t a n t t o know that v a ~ i o u s trckniqucs arc followed to achieve coordination in administration. The fol!~.:~~~i?,~,g are the variou\ techniques 3f cool dinatiorl.

21.8.1 Planning
Planning is considered to bc an irnport:irat technique to ensure coordination. Phanraivg can bc defined a:. "adv:ince preparation for futurc action wherein d~i'rercri; aspects of work are identified. scheduled for orderly implementation". Tile irn;)ortqnce of returns from the available resources within the stipulated planning is to enseare optirnurn~ time frame,. ?'ht constrajctlon of a gigantic thermal plhrit t o generate elecaricity tail be cited as a n example, Once the decision is taken to 6:onstruct a thermal plant, plann~ng exercises bcsgm. In this process: ciiflerer~t phasec of work are identified like acqrsisit~oir of sites, covlstruction ok biiirding, fahricatjorr of indigenous components, inlpoi'cinf? of machinery: b i ~ c . A .. or .* : plant, appointment of technic;~i persolanel anci the cornmissiorrir~g ct'trle plant. -Tine work has to proceed itn t h ~ particular s sequencc whereia dilTerent rinits conrpiete tile task as<;igneiB.Ih there is propri planning. tirc char~ces of delay arc minirnised.

21.8.2 Consultalion
Consultation is yet ancther device to erl'surecno,i.linnlinn. If a decision taken by the department would irtkringe 3pon !.he \w3rkiug of Ei?:$ iil her iff.p:)~C,a~c;:;!lt, ;1 ;5 a!v:a>i better to consult. in advatlce and emu:? proper dsc:i!:.:.:n. Pince Inrlst of the aiirrii!i~::.ati.~:c decisicns have financial implications, is i c ; custorrsahy ft9r ; m y (I~:,:p:irtn.~;.l~t to rr. f: r t o tRc finan&<d e p r t n i e n t .sny file involvirlg extra e,spei:diturcl (sil~cc zdditi.:~slalsniirley Is , . required) :o get advance c!eas.ance. Iile absence of corrss.~l:stisrralso c:sn be j!Slsstratetl when the noads arc where very oftcn tile roLxdsarc: iit.:g up eitiler bv Ixater iiupplq' department, electricity department o r t e l e p h o ~ tlepar ~r i~.:~.:r:i. '[kt: layirlg ot the roa.ls could havc been postponed or bskerm rJp after the cs-iriccrnrd departmrlrit completed tlie work.

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21 3 . 3 Conferences and Committees

Confcrenccs, committees and inter-departmental committees are constitution.al drviccs tofacilitatc coordination. The annual conference of Health Ministers provide a forum of cxchange of opinion of the Ministers from the states and the Union Government and it facjlitates a common programme of action. The conference of the (.ierleral Managers of Railways and the Members of the Railway Board serves as a. forum for the discussion of mutual problems of providingfast transportation. Another important device to ensure coordination is the inter-departmental committee to facilitate smooth flow of business. The enforcement of traffic regulations is reviewed by an inter-tlepartmental committee consisting of representatives of Police Department, Department of Roads and Buildings, representatives of Municipal Corporations and the Department of Municipal Administration. The Cabinet Secretariat, the General e n t can be cited as Administration Department, the National ~ e v e ~ d ~ mCouncil exan~ples that ensure coordination at the Government of India level and the state government level. The National Development Council facilitates coordination between the Central and the State Governments in respect of planning. The Zonal Council presided over by the Home Minister and attended by the Chief Ministers of the respective regions is yet another example of an institutwn that ensures coordination.

2 1 3 . 4 Standardisation of Procedures
Standardisatioil of procedures and methods facilitates coordination. Standardisation of procedures stipulate the common course of action to be followed by different agencies. The procedure for purchase of various requirements for all the ministries are stipulated by the Director General of Supplies and Disposal. The standardised procedure ellminates confusion and ensures conformity in respect of purchase by different departments. Centralised house-keeping activity also promotes coordination. Centralised printing, auditing and maintenance of equipment and building can be cited as examples. The advantage of centralised house-keeping is that it avoids duplication of efforts and ensures timely availability of inputs.

21.8.5 Written Instructions

In an organisation, it clear i~vstructions are issued from the headquarters, the work goes on smoothly. For instance, the district collectors are givcn clear instructions as to the measures they have to follow in case of floods and famines, etc. The district ad~ninistrritioninitiates remedial measures without delay.

21.9 HINDRANCES TO COORDINATION

While the importance of coordination has been made dear. unfortu~lately, it is difficult to ensure cffective coordination. Coordination in any organisation may suffer because of uncertainty about the future, lack of knowledge and experience, poor planning. the size of the organisation and the number of variables that need to be integrated. T o sum up, thc success or failure of an organisation depends upon the effective: measures initiated to ensure coordination, for coordination is the cementing force that binds the ihdividuals together to reach the goals effectively. Check Your Progress 2 Note: i) Use the space below for your answers. ii) Check your answers with those given at the end of the unit.
1 What is coordination and why is it necessary'?

2 Explilin the techniques of coordination.

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3 What are the hindrances to coordination?

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21.10 LET US SUM UP

Division of work is necessitated since individuals are endowed with varying degrees of physical and mental capabilities. Changes in the modes of production necessitated division of work resulting in specialisation. Whilc division of work is essential.. an equallv important principle of organisation is coordination. Coordination enables the synchronisi~tion of efforts of individuals and institutions to achieve the goals with economy a nd efficiency.

21.11 KEY WORDS Accentuate: Enphasise Connotation: Implicatioil Emanate: Originate Synchronisation: Operating simultaneously and at the same rate

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21.12 SOME USEFUL BOOKS

Avasthi A . and Maheshwari, S.R., 1985. Public Adrniriisrrariorz (13th rgv. Ed): Lakshmi Narain Agarwal: Agra. Gulick L u ~ h e & r Urwick I-, 1937. Papers on :Iic Sczence of Adrninrsrrarion (Eds); Public Administration Service: New York. Monney, .I.l ) . , 1957. Principles of Orpanisafiorr; Harper: New Y ork. Pfiffner John M & Sherwood, Frank M. 1968. Adrni~:i.rrriztivc Orpa:zi,,arion; Prcutice Hall of India Private Limited: New Delhi. Simon, Herbert, 1957. Adminisfrtid~vfirhaviorir. A StirJy o;'Decisron :l.lakijy; Process in Administrative Orgnnisatiorr: The Free Press: N t x I ork. .. , --..-. Sharma. M.P., 1983. Public Adnunl.stratior1 in Tl~eot-y urrd P r a c f l c ~ ,.... Mahat: Atlahabad.