What are the methods of coordination adopted by a marketing personnel?
There are basically two types of coordination viz. – formal and informal. Formal coordination among departments is achieved by one or more of three methods. The first method is to build coordination into the organization through the grouping of all the allied activities under a top ranking executive. Under this form of coordination, marketing executives coordinate the operations of departments under them.
The second method is about achieving coordination through the general administrative officers like the president, executive VP or the general manager. Here such executives have been found to coordinate the operations of all company departments. Often it is not about the departments that perform closely related tasks.
It is because of this that the second method is most widely used by companies having a small number of departments. The third method is about using policy, planning and coordinating committees made up of representatives of concerned departments. This is often considered the most ineffective method of coordination.
In the case of informal coordination, departmental heads are found to solve interdepartmental problem informally while it still is being thrashed out through formal mechanisms.
Many companies have been found to prefer informal coordination methods and solutions so developed may or may not be formally adopted later by a coordinating body. At certain times, informal solutions are accepted as tentative and are subject to modification after review by the formal coordinating mechanism.
Sales executives have often been found to report that informal coordinating procedures are more important than formal methods more so in cases where frequent communication is required. However there is a caveat in this context and that is informal coordination poses several problems for a company and its executives.
Marketing personnel must be made aware of the need for coordination. Marketing personnel must also be given the opportunity to understand the roles and responsibilities of other marketing jobs apart from establishing a climate that encourages a continuous and free exchange of ideas.
