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It all depends upon the task being undertaken, the amount of control or supervision required, and the experience of the management. Monitoring a routine or business as usual project, then the span of control can range between 100 (cleaning task for a stadium) down to 8 (sales people) fairly easily. When there is a degree of specialism or monitoring required traditional numbers range from 8 to 4, with about 5.7 being the optimal across business in general (Harvard Business School Number). This number is coming down in recent years - it was thought the number should be a lot higher. When there is high creativity or innovation, or where there is a lot of involvement required and you don't want sub groups automatically being created, then the number can be down as low as 3. The more experienced managers can often handle more people, and there is often a drive by businesses to increase the span of control to drive costs down (less managers). The important thing to remember, there is no optimal value that is constant, it depends upon the nature of your work, your experience of your people and if it is working for you. Don't follow other examples, because you may not know what they do and copying them will not help you. Find out what works for you in different departments and by different managers, and be flexible. Applying an arbitrary number is dangerous. The worst thing to do is giving all your managers wide spans of control, so they spend all their time looking after their subordinates and neglecting their strategy work, seeking out the new opportunities/new business and having time to think to make things better for your company.
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∙ 12y ago
The appropriate span of management is influenced by factors such as the complexity of tasks, skill level of employees, communication processes, and manager's experience. It is typically recommended to have a span of management that allows for effective supervision and communication without overwhelming the manager or leading to micromanagement. Generally, a span of management of around 5-10 direct reports is considered manageable.
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Different types of span of management?
Two types of Span of management/control are there:Wider span of management and Narrow span of management. Wider span of control results in a flat organization and narrow span of control results in tall organization structure.http://www.mbaknol.com/management-principles/span-of-management-types/
What is span of control in management?
Span of control refers to the reach of management. A supervisor who has 14 employees has a span of control that encompasses those 14 employees.
What is narrow span of management?
Narrow span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees few subordinates.
Are span of management and unity of command similar?
1. Describe how unity of commander is affected by span of management and visa-versa.
What Span of Management?
Simple meaning is - how many people are directly reporting to one manager. Span of management also known as span of control means how many subordinates are handled by a superior. It is one of the basic functions of organization. Simple meaning of Span of Management is how many people are directly reporting to one manager.
What is span of management?
Simple meaning is - how many people are directly reporting to one manager. Span of management also known as span of control means how many subordinates are handled by a superior. It is one of the basic functions of organization. Simple meaning of Span of Management is how many people are directly reporting to one manager.
What are the factors influencing span of control of management?
The actual level of the management is a factor that influences the span of control of management. Other factors include the type of work involved, and the degree of centralization within the company.
The importance of property management to a caterer?
The Property management is the part for your property maintenance. You only decide the best association service company that is appropriate for your profile. At the moment it is very simple to search. You only choose the right company from that long list.
What are the steps involved in property management?
The Property management is the part for your property maintenance. You only decide the best association service company that is appropriate for your profile. At the moment it is very simple to search. You should select the right company from that long list.
What is span of management discuss factors affecting the span of management?
Also known as span of control, is a very important concept of organizing function of management. It refers to the number of subordinates that can be handled effectively by a superior in an organization. It signifies how the relations are planned between superior and subordinates in an organization. Span of management is generally categorized under two heads- Narrow span and Wide span. Narrow Span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees few subordinates. This gives rise to a tall organizational structure. While, a wide span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees a large number of subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure.There is an inverse relation between the span of management and the number of hierarchical levels in an organization, i.e., narrow the span of management , greater the number of levels in an organization. Narrow span of management is more costly compared to wide span of management as there are larger number of superiors/ managers and thus there is greater communication issues too between various management levels. The less geographically scattered the subordinates are, the better it is to have a wide span of management as it would be feasible for managers to be in touch with the subordinates and to explain them how to efficiently perform the tasks. In case of narrow span of management, there are comparatively more growth opportunities for a subordinate as the number of levels is more. The more efficient and organized the managers are in performing their tasks, the better it is to have wide span of management for such organization. The less capable, motivated and confident the employees are, the better it is to have a narrow span of management so that the managers can spend time with them and supervise them well. The more standardized is the nature of tasks ,i.e., if same task can be performed using same inputs, the better it is to have a wide span of management as more number of subordinates can be supervised by a single superior. There is more flexibility, quick decision making, effective communication between top level and low level management,and improved customer interaction in case of wide span of management. Technological advancement such as mobile phones, mails, etc. makes it feasible for superiors to widen their span of management as there is more effective communication. An optimal/ideal span of control according to the modern authors is fifteen to twenty subordinates per manager, while according to the traditional authors the ideal number is six subordinates per manager. But actually, an ideal span of control depends upon the nature of an organization, skills and capabilities of manager, the employees skills and abilities, the nature of job, the degree of interaction required between superior and subordinates.
Definition of span of manaement?
Span of management, or span of control is the number of people a manager can manage effectively. A set number of subordinates reporting to one supervisor.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of narrow span of control?
Also known as span of control, is a very important concept of organizing function of management. It refers to the number of subordinates that can be handled effectively by a superior in an organization. It signifies how the relations are planned between superior and subordinates in an organization. Span of management is generally categorized under two heads- Narrow span and Wide span. Narrow Span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees few subordinates. This gives rise to a tall organizational structure. While, a wide span of management means a single manager or supervisor oversees a large number of subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure.There is an inverse relation between the span of management and the number of hierarchical levels in an organization, i.e., narrow the span of management , greater the number of levels in an organization. Narrow span of management is more costly compared to wide span of management as there are larger number of superiors/ managers and thus there is greater communication issues too between various management levels. The less geographically scattered the subordinates are, the better it is to have a wide span of management as it would be feasible for managers to be in touch with the subordinates and to explain them how to efficiently perform the tasks. In case of narrow span of management, there are comparatively more growth opportunities for a subordinate as the number of levels is more. The more efficient and organized the managers are in performing their tasks, the better it is to have wide span of management for such organization. The less capable, motivated and confident the employees are, the better it is to have a narrow span of management so that the managers can spend time with them and supervise them well. The more standardized is the nature of tasks ,i.e., if same task can be performed using same inputs, the better it is to have a wide span of management as more number of subordinates can be supervised by a single superior. There is more flexibility, quick decision making, effective communication between top level and low level management,and improved customer interaction in case of wide span of management. Technological advancement such as mobile phones, mails, etc. makes it feasible for superiors to widen their span of management as there is more effective communication. An optimal/ideal span of control according to the modern authors is fifteen to twenty subordinates per manager, while according to the traditional authors the ideal number is six subordinates per manager. But actually, an ideal span of control depends upon the nature of an organization, skills and capabilities of manager, the employees skills and abilities, the nature of job, the degree of interaction required between superior and subordinates
