What happens if the span of control is too wide

Has your organization considered the effects of what narrow or wide supervisory and managerial spans of control mean for your employees and the levels of support and empowerment they receive on-the-job? Have you considered how your decisions regarding the number of levels of reporting in your organization and given to your supervisors and managers influence job satisfaction, communication practices, and your overall organizational culture?

The structure of your organization matters for these reasons and more. Span of control refers to the number of subordinates that can be managed effectively and efficiently by supervisors or managers in an organization.

Typically, it is either narrow or wide resulting in a flatter or more hierarchical organizational structure. Each type has its inherent advantages and disadvantages.

Three or four levels of reporting typically are sufficient for most organizations, while four to five are generally sufficient for all organizations but the largest organizations Hattrup, Ideally in an organization, according to modern organizational experts is approximately 15 to 20 subordinates per supervisor or manager. Is there an optimal number? What needs to be considered is the nature of the work subordinates are performing and how much attention each requires.

For example, the span of control can be over , while executive functions with high degrees of collaboration and interaction might productively tolerate no more than three or four. So the nature of the work being performed , and how much attention it requires should govern the assignment of personnel to a manager, not some industry ideal goal.

Width: Organization structures can be described as wide with a larger span of control or narrow with a smaller span of control. Height: As there are levels of management, or hierarchy, an organization may be tall with many levels or flat with fewer levels.

While each structure has its pros and cons the best way for you to model and visualize the organization is with OrgChart. OrgChart gives you the ability to model and visualize the organization and automate the process. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

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