Span of Control
The number of direct reports a manager is responsible for supervising.
Definition
Span of control refers to the number of subordinates or direct reports that a manager directly supervises. A narrow span means few direct reports (typically associated with hierarchical, tall organizations with more management layers), while a wide span means many direct reports (associated with flat organizations). The optimal span depends on factors like task complexity, team experience, geographic dispersion, and the nature of work. Decisions about span of control have direct implications for organizational structure and management costs.
Example
“The company widened the average manager's span of control from five to nine direct reports as part of a delayering exercise, reducing the number of management layers from six to four.”
Synonyms
- management span
- supervisory scope
- reporting ratio
Images
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Related Terms
- Organizational Design
- Matrix Organization
- Org Chart
- Delayering