TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA

BACHELOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN TECHNOLOGY,

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
YEAR 2013
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION
CONTROLLING AND CORDINATING
PRESENTED BY: SAMUEL WAWERU MWITHIGA

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INTRODUCTION
The 21st century saw the management theories begin to emerge as organizations became
larger and more complex and the traditional ways of doing things by rule of thumb was no
longer practical. Several people came up with theories that addressed the emerging
complexities of managing complex organizations as the industrial revolution came.
The trend in the beginning of the 21st century was to produce goods in mass production
with little emphasis on the human needs. Interaction between departments was limited to
just production.
When organizations began to grow large, it become necessary to change the way of doing
things to maintain harmony in the organizations. There came about new schools of thought
on how to do things. Theories like scientific management, bureaucracy and administrative
and behavioral theories were formulated.
These were the fathers of modern management theories that are still in use up to today.
One such person was Henri Fayol (1841-1925). He was a French mining Engineer turned
industrialist who came up with the principles of management called bureaucracy or
administrative theory which is still in use today in government, military and even private
companies. He defined management or broke down the functions of management as
follows:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Planning
Organizing
Commanding
Coordinating
Controlling

He also laid down the 14 principles of management that are as relevant now as they were
back then.
These fourteen principles of management are listed below:
1. Division of work: Total work of an organization is divided into small manageable units
and assigned to particular individuals. It helps to increase efficiency. The principle of
division of work can be applied at all levels in the organization.
2. Authority and responsibility: In an organization the Authority and responsibility should
go together. The Manager gives his order directly to the subordinate after that he should
take the responsibility for the work done by them. So the person receiving the authority

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should be ready to bear the responsibility for the same. It is important to delegate
authority, at the same time retain the responsibility with him.
3. Discipline: Discipline should be followed by all the employees. Obedience behavior,
discipline, flexibility and human consideration are together called discipline. The
organization must have discipline, otherwise it cannot run smoothly.
4. Unity of command: Every subordinate should receive orders and be accountable to only
one superior. Dual or multiple command is a perpetual source of conflict. Unity of
command avoids conflicting orders and ensures order and stability in the organization. It is
also helpful in fixing responsibility.
5. Unity of direction: According to this principle, each group of activities having the same
objective must have one head and one plan. The principle of unity of direction seeks to
ensure unity of action. Unity of direction should not be confused with the unity of
command.
6. Subordination of individual interest to general interest: Every employee should forget
their individual interest and they should work for common purpose. When there is conflict
between the two, interests of the organization should prevail over individual interest.
7. Remuneration: The amount of remuneration and the methods of payment should be just
and fair and should provide maximum possible satisfaction to both employees and
employers.
8. Centralization: According to Fayol, The question of centralization and decentralization
is a matter of finding optimum degree for the particular concern. The degree of
concentration of authority should be based upon optimum utilization of all faculties of the
personnel. It should be determined on the basis of individual circumstances in each case.
9. Scalar chain: It refers to the chain of superiors ranging from the highest authority to the
lowest level in the organization. There should be a clear line of authority ranging from top
to bottom of the organization. All upward and downward communications should flow
through each position of authority along the scalar chain.
10. Order: This principle is concerned with the arrangement of things and the placement of
people. In material order, there should be a place for everything and everything should be
in its proper place. Similarly in social order, there should be an appropriate place for
everyone and everyone should be in his or her appointed place.

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11. Equity: Equity implies that employees should be treated with justice and kindness.
Managers should be fair and impartial in their dealings with subordinates. Equity helps to
create cordial relations between management and workers which are essential for
successful functioning or every enterprise.
12. Stability of tenure of personnel: Employees cannot work efficiently unless job security
is assured to them. An employee cannot render worthwhile service if he is removed from
the job before he gets accustomed to it.
13. Initiative: Employees at all levels should be given the opportunity to take initiative and
exercise judgment in the formulation and execution of plans. Initiative refers to the
freedom to think for oneself and use direction in doing work. It develops the interest of
employees in their jobs and provide job satisfaction to them.
14. Espirit de corps: This refers to harmony and mutual understanding among the members
of an organization. Union is strength and unity in the staff is the foundation of success in
any organization. Management should not follow the policy of Divide and rule. Unity
among personnel can be developed through proper communication and coordination.
In this presentation, we will be focusing on the last two functions of management as
defined by Henri Fayol.
COORDINATING
Definition:
Coordinating can be defined as follows: The synchronization and integration of activities,
responsibilities, and command and control structures to ensure that the resources of an
organization are used most efficiently in pursuit of the specified objectives according to
Business Dictionery.com
Coordination is the process of linking the various activities of an organization to bring
about the common goal of the enterprise.
Coordinating means to harmonize all the activities of an organization to facilitate its
working and success. In a well-coordinated organization each department works in
harmony with the other departments and is fully informed of its role in the organization,
according to Henri Fayol.
Coordination cam still be defined as the orderly arrangement of group effort to provide
unity of action in pursuit of a common goal.
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Thus coordinating is a crucial aspect of management if an organization is to achieve its set

out goals. Coordination can be likened to what the brain is to the body, it coordinates all
activities of the body so that there is harmony.
Functions of coordinating can be set out as below follows:

i.

Coordination arises due to interdependence of the

departments in an organization. What this means is that all
activities of various departments, though independent, are
interlinked to the others, and have to work in harmony e.g.
production and sales, production department has to
produce according to sales volumes, and supplies
department has to supply the raw materials in tandem to

ii.

this.
Coordination aims at attaining the common goal. This
means that even though the various departments work
separately, the goal of the organization is one and every

iii.

department works towards the attainment of that goal.

Coordination is a duty of the manager so that his works
does not adversely affect the outputs of another
department, e.g. overproduction or underproductions which
can make other works in other departments come to a
standstill. This means he has to mind his customers and

iv.

suppliers, internally.
Coordination does not arise spontaneously. This means it
has to be consciously planned and executed. It requires the

v.

participation of all departments

Coordination can be done by specialists, especially when
the tasks are complex or in large organizations. This can be
either external experts hired for this purposes or internal,
may be a department or committee to oversee coordination

vi.

activities.
Coordination is also an ongoing process, just like planning is
a continuous process. This is because the activities in an
organization are a work in progress and as long as there is
planning and development, coordination will have to there.

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Coordination should not be confused with cooperation though

they complement one another. Cooperation is the voluntary
willingness to help others or a willingness to work together for the
common good of all. Coordination cannot be successful without
cooperation.
Advantages or merits of coordination are listed below:
i.

Coordination helps attain unity of purpose. An organization

has many activities that require to be integrated so as to

ii.

have attain a common goal.

Coordination helps to remove duplication of duties so that
there is no repetition of tasks leading to wastage. This
ensures that all departments know exactly what they are

iii.

supposed to do. This will save time and resources.

Coordination brings about direction in an organization.
When every activity is well coordinated, then everything
moves in one direction, to achieve the organizations goal.
This is crucial since each department performs different
activities which must be harmonized to achieve the

iv.

common goal.
Cooperation enhances efficiency in an organization, by

v.

giving direction and avoiding overlapping of duties

Cooperation makes people interact and therefore promotes
good relationships and promotes team work. Wellcoordinated work will be less prone to conflicts and

vi.

misunderstandings.
Cooperation reconciles personal goals with the
organizations main goals. Coordination ensures that there is
no conflict of interest.

Problems that face coordination are;

i.

Multiplicity of activities- The problem of co-ordination

increases with the increase in the number of activities
performed in an enterprise.

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ii.

Where there are large numbers of workers, then

coordination will be a big challenge, more so in an informal
setting.
Where the tasks are highly divided, especially in specialist

iii.

works coordination will be hard since its dealing with

different people or departments that could be far apart,
even in other countries.
Inter-Dependence Co-ordination will not pose any problem

iv.

in case an individual or a group or a department is able to

work independently without being influenced by others.
But, in practice, the activities of any person will depend on
v.

those of others.
Lack of co-operative spirit Co-operation among the staff
provides the very basis for coordination. In an organization
where there is lack of co-operative spirit among the
employees, securing co-ordination is sure to pose problem.
Uncontrollable factors will affect coordination, like lack of

vi.

raw materials, government policies, capital, etc.

Coordination can be broken down in to four type, namely;
1.
2.
3.
4.

External coordination
Internal
Horizontal
Vertical

1. External coordination means coordinating the activities of

an organization with external ones, like market demand for
a product with production.
2. Internal coordination means coordination that takes place
within an organization, between departments and
individuals.
3. Horizontal coordination: this is done in between
departments which are at the same level of hierarchy in an
organization. The departments have to work together and
devise their own ways of coordination.

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4. Vertical coordination: this happens down the various levels

of management, from top to bottom, e.g. between a
manager and supervisor.
The following are the principles of coordination:
i.

Principle of direct personal contact This principle says that

direct personal contact with the persons concerned is
essential for achieving effective co-ordination. Face-to-face
communication is the best way to resolve any issue. One
should avoid written communication to reduce time
wastage and misunderstandings arising from other forms of

ii.

communication.
Principle of early beginning In the planning stage itself
suitable provision for co-ordination may be made. Setting
of targets and preparation of plans must be done in
consultation with the subordinate staff. Once this is done,

iii.

co-ordination is taken care of.

Principle of reciprocity According to this principle, when a
person knows that he can influence and can be influenced
by others, he would certainly avoid unilateral or one-sided

iv.

action. This should make co-ordination easy.

Principle of continuity This principle says that coordination is a never ending activity. As long as the
activities of an organization are there, coordination will be
there.

Techniques of Co-ordination:
According to Louis Allen, the following techniques of co-ordination
are,
(i) Balancing
(ii) Timing and
(iii) Integrating

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(i) Balancing
Balancing means ensuring sufficiency of an aspect to support or
counterbalance the other. For example, if a business has
tremendous potentials for production and marketing and is
starved of funds, steps must be taken to augment its financial
resources.
(ii) Timing
Timing refers to the task of matching the time schedules of
different activities so that they support and reinforce one another.
For example, production schedule must be prepared in
accordance with the sales order to be executed date-wise.
(iii) Integrating
Integrating refers to the task of unifying diverse interests in order
to achieve the common goal. Every individual has self-interest in
his mind while working. The success of co-ordination depends on
the extent to which the self-interests of individuals are
synchronized with the organizational interests.

CONTROLLING;
Control can be defined as Control is the continuing process of
measuring the actual results of the operations of an organization
in relation to the results which were planned
Control by Henri Fayol, control consists in verifying, whether
everything occurs in conformity with the plans adopted, the
instructions issued and principles established. It points out
weaknesses and errors in order to rectify them and prevent
recurrence

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The following are the functions or characteristics of control

function of management:
i.

It is Backward looking
Controlling involves comparing the actual performance with
the targets. This requires checking of events after these
have taken place. Control is, thus, a backward looking
activity

ii.

It gives meaning to planning

Planning will lose its significance in the absence of control. It is

only control that indicates the extent to which the plan has been
successfully implemented. In the absence of control, it will not be
possible to know whether the target has been achieved.
iii.

It involves appraisal or evaluation

The very nature of the control function is to make an appraisal or

evaluation of the actual performance production, sales, etc.,
Deviation from the target can be detected only if actual
performance is assessed.
iv.

It is a pervasive function

Control, like planning, is a pervasive function, i.e., performed at

all levels of management top, middle and lower levels.

v.

It is forward looking

By comparing actual performance with the expected level of

performance, deviations can be detected. Once the causes for the
deviations are found out, corrective measures must be employed

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to prevent the occurrence of the flaws in future. Thus, control

provides the necessary safeguards for future uncertainties
vi.

It is a continuous process

As long as there is planning there will be control. As planning is an

endless activity, control should also be endless.
The following are the stages of control:
1. Establishment of Standards
The first step in the process of control is to establish standards for
every business operation. Standards are the criteria against which
the actual results can be measured. Standards should as far as
possible be set objectively
To be effective, the standards should be (i) . Objective
(ii). Pre-determined
(iii). Attainable
(iv) . Measurable
(v) . Definite
2. Measurement of Actual performance and making
Comparisons
After standards have been set the next step is to measure the
actual performance of individuals, groups, departments and the
enterprise as a whole. For this, up-to-date information on the
progress of work is required. Measurement of performance should
be done in quantitative terms. In certain cases, quantitative
measurement may not be directly possible. For example, job
satisfaction, attitude etc., cannot be directly measured
objectively. In such a case, opinion surveys may be used. The
responses may be given scores so that the data may be
quantified. After quantifying the data, an appropriate statistical

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tool may be used for analysis. Based on the analysis, inferences

can be made.
After the actual performance has been measured, it must be
compared with the pre-determined standards.

3. Finding out deviations

When the actual performance is compared with the established
standards, it will become clear whether the target has been
exceeded or just attained or not reached. If the target has been
exceeded particularly in the matter of sales, profits or employee
attitudes, it is an indication of greater efficiency at all levels. If the
target has just been attained, the management can feel satisfied.
If the target has not been reached at all, it should indicate
incapacity.
4. Taking corrective actions
A good control system should try to remove the defects causing
deviation from the target. Based on the nature of the defect,
corrective action has to be taken.
The following are the benefits of control in an organization:
1. It ensures attainment of enterprise objective While planning
helps to work systematically, control helps to ascertain whether
the fruits of labor have been realized.
2. It highlights the quality of plans Control brings out the
positive and negative aspects of the various plans of the
enterprise. If there is any deficiency in planning, steps may be
taken to improve the quality of plans.
3. It ensures successful implementation of plans It is only
control that ensures whether the plans of the enterprise are being
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properly implemented. It points out the bottlenecks in the

implementation of plans and also suggests remedial measures.
4. It ensures that employees work with commitment Control
requires the employees at all levels to perform their duties as
planned in order to attain the targets within the stipulated time.
In the absence of control, there may be a tendency to go slow.
5. It provides scope for delegation In every department of the
enterprise, target attainment gets the focus in view of the control
function. To attain the target, the departmental heads have to
assign work to their subordinates and also give them the requisite
authority to carry out their tasks. Thus, control gives scope for
delegation of authority by a superior to his subordinates.
6. It facilitates co-ordination The work of every employee
influences and is influenced by the work of others. What is,
therefore, required is a coordinated effort. Control requires the
employees to integrate their efforts and work as a team in order
to achieve the targets.
7. It promotes efficiency By fixing the deadline for the
accomplishment of targets, control ensures that the resources of
the enterprise, namely, men, machines, materials and money are
put to optimum use. This leads to higher efficiency.
On the down side, we can say limitations of control are,
1. Problem in setting a realistic standard
Setting standard of performance or target is the starting point
of control. But determining a realistic target always poses a
problem for the manager. Several internal and external factors
will have to be considered before fixing the target. If the target
is unreasonable or unrealistic, employees may not be able to
attain it.

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2. Resistance from employees

There is generally resistance to any kind of control system in
the work place. Employees, often, complain of the targets
being unreasonable, favoritism in appraisal, and lack of
authority and so on.
3. Lack of good system of communication
Absence of a good system of communication can hamper
control. Information regarding standards, actual performance
and corrective actions taken need to be passed on at the right
moment. Failure to do so can make control difficult

4. Degree of change
Any system of control can only cope with changes of a certain
magnitude. For example, to cope with power failure, a power
generator can be installed in the factory. But if the power
generator itself fails, the factory manager will be helpless.
5. Problem in setting qualitative standards
Standards may be either quantitative or qualitative.
Quantitative standards (in numerical term) may be set easily
for production, sales, etc. It is not possible to lay down
quantitative standards for job satisfaction, level of motivation
of employees and such other similar qualitative variables.
6. Delay in taking corrective action
Any delay in taking corrective action will, instead of solving the
problem, aggravate it. The delay may be caused due to
procedural or other reasons. A stitch in time saves nine.

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It is thus very important for any organization to be able to

coordinate and control its activities if it has any hope of
succeeding in attaining its set out goals. Without coordination and
control, there will be chaos and eventually total collapse of the
whole organization.
References:
1. Management practice, Tamilnadu Text Book Corporation
edition 2006
2. Business Dictionery.com

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