What is span of management explain the merits and demerits of narrow and wide span of management

The span of control determines the level of interactions and responsibilities associated with employees and managers. The process is used to determine the management style and it also defines roles within the organization. The importance of span of control and its concepts are relative to productivity in the workplace by determining the number of employees that fall under each individual manager.

The span of control most often refers to the number of workers assigned to a manager. The concept however extends outward with detailed analysis based on how the management interacts with the staff under their control.

A n*arrow span of control means each manager has a small number of employees*. A wide span of control means each manager is responsible for a large number employees. The determination is subjective and is ultimately based on the upper management and their style.

The end goal however remains consistent. The span of control is determined, based on the belief that it will improve productivity and output while increasing revenue. If small teams demonstrate higher returns for the business, a narrow span of control is the best option. If micromanaging proves counterproductive, a wide span of control is the best approach.

Finding the right balance in the span of control structure is no easy task. There is no secret formula and ultimately, the best ratio of employees to managers is discovered through testing and refining.

A narrow span of control creates a more intimate work setting and in many cases, each manager is more hands-on. The limited number of employees operating under each manager creates more personal interactions and often opens access to the manager. This works well when the group operates as a team. It can however backfire when the employees are micromanaged on simple tasks that they can complete without constant oversight.

When the narrow structure does not work, a wide structure is often more effective. A wide span of control places numerous employees under each manager. This approach is effective when the daily tasks and processes are clearly defined. A narrow span is often more effective when daily guidance and expertise is needed to complete more complex tasks.

Striking the perfect balance is a process of refinement. Business owners can take some matters into their own hands by owning the controllable elements of the workplace. This means creating daily structure for all employees with goals and targets that ensure a daily minimum is achieved regardless of the span of control.

After the minimums are met, tweaking the span of control to find the most productive scenario requires time and diligent record keeping. Stagger team sizes to determine which groupings are best. A business also must consider the employee overhead in terms of personnel and wages. If the span of control increases output slightly but enough to justify the salary of additional mangers, it may be more cost effective to maintain a wider span of control.

There are also two distinct approaches to management. One involves a dynamic structure where each manager may handle a specific number of employees but the individual employees change on a regular basis. A more static model places the same individuals in teams every work day. The differing interactions and qualifications of each manager and employee will influence the productivity.

This means the span of control has no reliable calculation as the performance fluctuates across different employees and managers. A general comparison however is often used to find the best possible ratio.

The span of control definition refers to the amount of employees directly reporting to a manager or superior. Span of control is one of the cornerstones of management theory. Often in HR, when analyzing your company you will try to calculate the average span of control. This calculation will help you evaluate whether you need to start a recruitment process or not to get more managers. Keep reading and find out how to do it. 

2 types of span of control

You will find two types of span of control definition when measuring the ratio of employees to managers:

Narrow span of control

A narrow span of control refers to the traditional way of seeing managers as having only a few subordinates. The organizational structure in this case is tall as opposed to flat. 

Wide span of control

A wide span of control occurs when one manager supervises many employees. Most big firms use wide span of control because it requires less operating costs. 

Narrow and wide span of controls have their advantages and disadvantages, and when it comes to choosing the right organizational structure for your business, every detail should be measured.

How to calculate span of control

The average span of control is calculated by adding up the amount of direct relationships a manager has with their employees and dividing it by the amount of managers.

Organizational control is measured according to the amount of “subordinates” a manager has. These subordinates are employees not just officially under the manager’s control but that also entertain some sort of working relationship with the manager, where the manager takes the executive decision.

Factors affecting span of control 

The factors that influence this are important for your HR team to know. It helps your HR and upper management team conceptualize and calculate what kind of management you need. The factors in question include:

• The capacity of both the superior and the subordinates. This refers to the superior or manager’s ability to take on many or few directs. A novice manager might have a hard time with just one or two directs to manage but an experienced one will have less trouble. For the subordinates, the more skilled they are the less likely they are to take up the time of their superior. So in both cases their ability and capability has a huge effect on what your span of management will be in your company.
• The type of work or service your organization undertakes. Some tasks require more micromanagement, time, and resources, whilst others allow you to let your employees take control. It is helpful to use a time tracking software to understand the amount of time these tasks take.
• The geographical and logistical factors. With remote working and remote management becoming more and more the norm, this is less of an obstacle than in the old days. But you will still try to cluster your teams according to their geographical area and assess its impact.

What is a manageable span of control?

A manageable span of control refers to the optimal number of employees a manager can manage. Before the advent of modern communication systems and management processes that are less hierarchical, there was an average of about 1 to 4. However, this has evolved considerably, and they may vary considerably according to the organization’s field or environment they are working in.

An optimal span of control depends heavily on what sector you are working in. For example, if the type of work is very difficult and complex, a manager can manage 1-4 employees, whereas, this number can increase up to 20 subordinates for easy and repetitive work. 

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