Span of Control

Description of Span of Control. Explanation.

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Definition Span of Control. Description.

Span of Control is the number of people/subordinates that can be effectively managed by one manager. It is an organizational theory term that refers to how relationships are structured between leaders and subordinates in organizations. A wide span of control exists when a person oversees many subordinates. A narrow span of control exists when a leader oversees few subordinates.

The optimal Span of Control is dependent upon a great number of factors, some of which include:

The nature of the work of the subordinates.
The skills, capabilities, experience, seniority, qualifications of the subordinates.
The skills, capabilities, experience, seniority, qualifications of the manager.
The use of information technology.
The detail at which work rules and procedures have been formalized and are known by the subordinates.
The applied management style (command and control or democratic / affiliative).
The desired depth of the hierarchy in an organization (steep or flat).
Organizational approaches (Self-directed Teams, Empowerment, cross-functional teams, etc.)

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Recent User Comments

    			 
  			   Patterson Ebenezer - Ghana
  	       
  		     Effective People Management
  	  		 "I think that the span of control can be an effective means of people management in an organizattion. The span of control is an intervention propounded by V.A Gracuinas, I believe to remedy the many challenges confronting HRM in any organization."
  			   
    	  		 2

    			 
  			   Juliet James - Nigeria
  	       
  		     Two Different Views towards Span of Control?
  	  		 "How did the behavouralist theory view span of control and how did the classical approach of theory view span of control?"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
  			   Kharen - Philipphines
  	       
  		     Increasing Subordinates and Span of Control
  	  		 "When should we add more subordinates?"
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   ashvin - Mauritius
  	       
  		     Benefits and Drawbacks Wide Span of Control
  	  		 "What are the main benefits and drawbacks of a wide span of control?"
  			   
    	  		 11

    			 
  			   Dominick - England
  	       
  		     Best Organizational Structures
  	  		 "Out of the tall, flat and narrow span of control, which is the best balance?"
  			   
    	  		 1

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Compare also: Flat Organizational Structure | Covert Leadership | Stretch Goals

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End of description Span of Control. An explanation.

                     
                      ● Oppong Seth Kwabena (Ghana)
                      
                    Span of Control in Organization
                    "Span of control has helped considerably a wide number of managers to manage a relatively sizable number of subordinates in an organization which help to reduce the amount of work load on superiors. It spells out the number of people to report to a particular line manager at a particular time frame. Span of control set as the structure built to control the reporting system of an organization. Managers who chooses the appropriate span of control are able to access the performances of various subordinates in the organization.

Who should report to who? Becomes the topic of discussion in span of control."