“Coordination” and “Cooperation”, which are two typical terms used to describe the way people operate together, are widely employed in commercial organisations.
People frequently confuse these concepts because their definitions are either contradictory or overlapping. As a result, people frequently misplace words that convey a completely different meaning, resulting in misunderstanding and communication gaps.
Coordination Vs. Cooperation
The distinction between coordination and collaboration is that coordination refers to the sequential execution of a set of tasks in order to establish individual unanimity in the pursuit of group goals and the achievement of common objectives.
Connection, communication, goals, resources, power, commitment, collaboration, co-existence, and accountability are the primary characteristics that distinguish coordination from cooperation.
Cooperation, on the other hand, is a voluntary decision by individuals to work together for mutual benefit. To achieve a specific goal, it takes the combined efforts of all members of the organisation.
What is the definition of coordination?
Coordination refers to the united effort required to bring a project to fruition. Individuals, as well as groups of people, can coordinate their actions.
Individually, human motoric coordination is an excellent example. To complete a task, involves a purposeful combination of physical movements and flawlessly timed actions. When you run in a race, for example, you must coordinate your leg movements at the same moment.
In addition to group coordination, there is a separate entity for objective accomplishments, and its increased efficiency allows them to achieve more quickly than they would otherwise.
Human resources, production, purchase, sales, marketing, and finance are among the operations that the management coordinates. It serves as a feedback loop for all of the organization’s actions, such as planning, managing, staffing, directing, organizing, and leading.
It also ensures that all of the company’s departments are in sync. It is a reflection of the employees (and groups) unity of action. Each employee may reach their goals more quickly and in a more harmonious manner by coordinating their efforts.
Coordination refers to the synchronisation of multiple departments in order to reduce conflict. As a result, synchronisation between departments and their work is critical, as lack of cooperation leads to chaos.
What is the definition of cooperation?
Cooperation is defined as a voluntary effort of two or more persons to collaborate or act together for a common goal or profit. It is a choice rather than a coerced action because it is something they like doing together for mutual gain.
Participating in a sporting event, for example, entails participants freely agreeing to the game’s rules and regulations and working together to determine whose team is the best. It is a type of social arrangement in which people collaborate for mutual advantage.
As they work together for a long time, understanding and communication between the two entities are critical. Both the sender and the receiver must be aware of and obtain the pieces of information, such as who is assigned to what works and how they will complete it.
Cooperation is inextricably linked to communication, just as synchronisation is to coordination. Higher self-esteem, confidence, accomplishment rates, and pleasant connections are all benefits of cooperative learning and social groupings.
Cooperation in the workplace creates a good working environment by allowing employees to work together to achieve both individual and organizational goals.
Corporate cooperation exemplifies the adage “united we stand, divided we fall,” as it creates a win-win situation that leads to mutual success and organizational growth.
Difference Between Coordination and Cooperation
- When someone hands you a brick and you lay it, you are cooperating. When the coordinator tells you to pick up the block, it is coordination. It’s a battle of wills between voluntary and involuntary activity.
- The word “coordination” comes from the Middle French and Late Latin word coordinationem, which refers to the process of coordinating. The etymology of “cooperation,” on the other hand, is derived from Late Latin “cooperation,” i.e., nominative for “cooperation,” a noun that means “work together toward a common goal.”
- Coordination is a well-planned and closely monitored process in an organisation. Cooperation, on the other hand, is largely an unintentional process that arises out of mutual respect.
- In both of these cases, communication is crucial. Coordination, on the other hand, entails open communication among group members, whereas cooperation entails tacit communication.
Conclusion
Cooperation without coordination is a waste of time, thus coordination and competition are phrases that describe actions that go hand in hand. Similarly, coordination without cooperation will result in group members’ dissatisfaction.
It is undeniable that coordination and cooperation both include a high level of communication and requires people to collaborate in order to improve the efficacy of the outcomes accomplished.