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.
Span of control describes how many subordinates a manager directly supervises. Supervisors managing few employees have a narrow span of control. Those managing many subordinates have a wide span. Span of control isn’t assigned arbitrarily, and there is no one number that signals wide or narrow. The terms are relative, varying between companies. Though the starting point is often four to six employees per supervisor, the small-business owner trying to decide an appropriate span of control should let context rule the choice. Often, the deciding factor for whether a span should be wide or narrow lies in the complexity of subordinates’ jobs. A wide span of control may be appropriate if jobs are simple or routine. In such cases, a manager can competently control and oversee many employees. Narrower spans go to those managers in charge of subordinates performing complicated or customized work. The difference between a narrow or wide span of control may be determined by a manager’s rank. According to the book, “Management: Meeting and Exceeding Expectations,” a vice president, for instance, usually manages fewer than four people while the lower-ranking assembly line supervisor might manage oversee 15. Top managers usually oversee other managers, and managers of any rank tend to do work requiring judgment, creativity and problem resolution. Overseeing managers requires time, especially for communication, limiting the number of subordinates who can be effectively supervised. Thus, the higher an individual ranks, the narrower the span should be. Narrow and wide spans of control differ in appropriateness according to the independence employees enjoy. Traditional organizations have a strict hierarchy that exerts a lot of control over workers. Such control requires narrower spans -- and a management bureaucracy -- compared with companies that give employees greater freedom. Companies choosing to forgo bureaucracy must necessarily adopt wider spans of control. In the team organizational structure, for instance, a small-business owner would organize employees into teams that hold authority over certain projects or work outcomes. The owner oversees many such teams and has a wide span of control. Experienced, well-trained employees need less supervision, allowing for wider spans of control, while new or untrained personnel call for narrower spans. This factor has implications for company structure. A small-business owner considering the team organizational structure, for instance, should understand that forgoing managers in favor of a wide span of control could be a mistake if teams are not adequately trained. Narrow spans of control go to inexperienced and/or untrained supervisors. These managers need seasoning before they can efficiently manage a wide span of employees. Sometimes a manager, even an experienced one, is not suited for a wide span of control. Such managers may enjoy a hands-on approach or may feel uncomfortable delegating authority.
The Span of Management refers to the number of subordinates who can be managed efficiently by a superior. Simply, the manager having the group of subordinates who report him directly is called as the span of management. It is also known as the number of subordinates who are efficiently managed by a single manager. Management has two implications:
Management is related to the horizontal levels of the organization structure. There is a wide and a narrow management. With the wider span, there will be less hierarchical levels, and thus, the organizational structure would be flatter. Whereas, with the narrow span, the hierarchical levels increases, hence the organizational structure would be tall. Factors Effecting Span of Management
Narrow Span of ManagementIn this structure, a manager can supervise less number of subordinates. He can, therefore, exercise tight control over their activities. This creates large number of levels in the organisation. This is also known as narrow span of control. 
Disadvantage: Superiors involve too much in the subordinates work, Too many levels in the management, high cost of supervision and management communication disorders between the lowest level employee and CEO and Excessive distance between the lowest level employee and top level manager. Wide Span of ManagementThese structures have a wide span of control. When superior supervises a larger number of subordinates, flat structure is created with lesser number of hierarchical levels. A departure was made from tall structures to flat structures by James C. Advantage: Superiors delegate most of their authority and responsibility and concentrate as their core business, management formulates clear policies and guidelines, subordinates are carefully selected and subordinates are trained and developed. |
What is wide and narrow span?
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