FREE online courses on Organisation - Span of control

The term ‘span of control' represents a numerical limit of subordinates to be supervised and controlled by a manager. It is an important principle of a sound organization. This principle is based on the theory of relationships propounded by V. A. Graicunas, a French management consultant.

Factors Affecting Span of Control

(i)        Ability of the executive: Individuals differ in various qualities like leadership, decision-making and communication.

(ii)       Time available for supervision: It is said that span should be narrow at the higher levels.

(iii)      Nature of work: When the spans are narrowed, the levels in the organization increase.

(iv)     Capacity of subordinates: If the subordinates are skilled, efficient and knowledgeable, they will require less supervision. In such a case, the superior may go in for a wider span.

(v)      Effectiveness of communication: If there is an effective communication system in the organization, it favours large number of levels because there will be no difficulty in transmission of information in spite of a large number of intervening layers.

(vi)     Control devices: The span of control also depends upon the control practices being followed.

(vii)    Organisational assistance available to the manager: Staff functions such as training, recruiting and quality control free the managers from frustrating routine work and permit them to increase their span.

(viii)   Degree of supervisory co-ordination needed: The lesser co-ordination needed, the broader the span. Similarly the lesser the planning required, the larger the span. Activities like launching a new product, surviving in a highly competitive environment demand careful planning whereas activities like filing, indexing, dispatching require little planning.

(ix)      Geographic  proximity: The closer a work group is located physically, the larger the span.

(x)       Similarity of  functions: The more similar the functions performed by the work group, the larger the span.