Span of Control in Management: 2 Types of Span of Control

In business management, the span of control or the span of management details the number of employees a supervisor oversees. The ideal span of control varies from company to company; experienced managers might have a wide span of control, meaning they are responsible for a more significant number of direct reports. The more people supervisors or middle managers oversee, the broader their decision-making power.

The span of control depends on each company's supervisory nature and organizational design. For example, a call center might have wider spans of control: a single manager might oversee fifty to one hundred callers. The callers perform the same jobs simultaneously, and information technology simplifies managerial duties by tracking progress, punctuality, and performance.

Other companies might have a narrow span of control. A nonprofit, for example, might have a span of control of just five if each team member has unique job descriptions, thus individualizing the supervisor’s relationship with each employee. To improve a manager’s job satisfaction, companies aim to maintain a manageable span of control to increase employee empowerment and decrease the chances of burnout.

A flat organizational structure has a wide span of control. Advantages of a wide span of control include:

1. 1. Cost-effectiveness: A wide span of control means fewer managers, which can lower company costs.
2. 2. Faster decision-making: When there are fewer levels of management, managers can make faster decisions.
3. 3. Freedom: A wide span of control increases employee freedom and can help prevent micromanagement.

There are drawbacks to companies with a wide span of control. Consider the following disadvantages:

1. 1. Burnout: Fewer managers overseeing a higher number of people can lead to overwork and burnout.
2. 2. Fewer opportunities for promotion: With fewer managers, there is less upward mobility for employees.
3. 3. Weak relationships: When managers oversee too many people, their ability to connect with each employee diminishes.

Tall organizational structures have a small span of control, or fewer people a manager supervises. Advantages of this type of organizational structure include:

1. 1. Low manager-to-employee ratio: Managers with a narrow span of control manage smaller groups of people, making it easier to complete managerial tasks.
2. 2. Opportunities for promotion: A narrow span of control gives employees ample chances to ascend to higher levels.
3. 3. Specialization opportunities: Organizations with a narrow span of control can promote more vital specialization and experienced employees.

Disadvantages of a tall structure, in which each manager oversees many employees, include:

1. 1. Communication difficulties: A narrow span of control can create communication difficulties since there are more managers on the chain of command.
2. 2. Higher expenses: More company managers mean higher salaries and benefits costs.
3. 3. Micromanagement: In a tall organizational structure with a narrow span of control, managers might engage in micromanagement, which might decrease employee satisfaction.

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