Span of Control
The Span of Control in an organization is defined as the number of employees reporting directly to one supervisor.
Traditionally, the Span of Control has been defined as a number between 4 and 7 subordinates under one manager.
The Span of Control is a concept which developed during the 19’th Century for the organization of large European
armies into smaller and smaller subunits. I.e. one could have 7 soldiers in one Platoon with 1 leader, 7 platoons with one
higher-ranking leader, etc. to form a large army which was relatively easy for one General at the top to manage under conditions
of combat.
Concept
wider spans of management
increase organizational efficiency
Narrow Span Drawbacks
· xpense of additional
layers of management
· increased complexity
of vertical communication
· encouragement
of overly tight supervision and discouragement of employee autonomy