Span of Control

Knowledge Center

• About
• Home
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
• Question?
• Views

• Register
• Log in
• Help

• Change & Organization
• Communication & Skills
• Decision-making & Valuation
• Ethics & Responsibility
• Finance & Investing
• HRM
• Knowledge & Intangibles
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Program & Project
• Strategy
• Supply Chain & Quality

Description of Span of Control. Explanation.

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.)

Span of Control Special Interest Group Special Interest Group (13 members)

Span of Control Forum   Recent topics   Benefits and Drawbacks Wide Span of Control What are the main benefits and drawbacks of a wide span of control?...           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...           Best Organizational Structures Out of the tall, flat and narrow span of control, which is the best balance?...           Control in Management Control in management and leadership is mandatory. If you have significant control on the employees then you'll be able to develop a strategy and to i...           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?...           Too Many Management Levels in Municipal Government A recent review of municipal governments for large cities has shown many major cities (over 1 million in population) have too many levels of managemen...           Increasing Subordinates and Span of Control When should we add more subordinates?...

Best Practices - Span of Control

Expert Tips - Span of Control   Key Considerations in Deciding Upon your Organizational Design Organization Set Up, Organizational Structure, Organization Structure, Centralization, Span of Control, Departmentaliz When setting up a business or organization, it is important to think about the roles, processes and ...       Ways to Increase the Span of Control Organization Design, Job Design There are multiple ways to increase the span of control. These are the main ones: Ap...       2 Meanings of Span of Control Organization Design, Job Design Be alert for 2 meanings of the term “Span of Control”. 1. The actual number of employees (subor...

Resources - Span of Control   News about Span Of Control         Videos about Span Of Control         Presentations about Span Of Control         Books about Span Of Control         More about Span Of Control

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

Return to Management Hub: Change & Organization  |  Communication & Skills  |  Leadership

More on Management  |  Return to Management Dictionary  | 

This ends our Span of Control summary and forum.