MINOR PROJECT REPORT

ON

“ORGANISATION STRUCTURE AND

SPAN OF CONTROL”

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the

Degree of

Bachelor of Business Administration

(General)

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Ms Ruchika Arora Ankur Jaiswal

(Project Guide) (05319301709)

BATCH (2009-2012)
KASTURI RAM COLLEGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
NARELA, DELHI - 110040
(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi)
[1]
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Getting a project done requires the work and efforts of many people. I would like to pay my

sincere gratitude and thanks to those people who directed me at every step in this project work.

The present report is based on “ORGANISATION STRUCTURE AND

SPAN OF CONTROL”

I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Ms Ruchika Arora (Project Guide) for her help and

valuable support throughout the term of the project. It was a learning experience to work under

her guidance.

I am also thankful to my parents all my friends and other sources who gave me much support

and inspiration in preparing this project report.

( ANKUR JAISWAL)

05319301709

BBA(GENERAL)

[2]
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that “ANKUR JAISWAL” has accomplished the project title

“ORGANISATION STRUCTURE AND SPAN OF CONTROL” under the guidance and

supervision.

He has submitted this project in the partial fulfillment for the award of degree of Bachelor of

Business Administration (General) from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

The work has not been submitted anywhere else for the award of degree. All sources of

information have been duly mentioned.

Ms RUCHIKA ARORA

(Project Guide & Co-ordinator)

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The span of control and the layers of management in an organization structure determine the way

the organization delegates tasks to organizational units and sub-units. Classical management

theory (pre-1950) held that supervisors needed to maintain close control over their subordinates.

Six subordinates were considered to be the maximum that one person could supervise effectively

a relatively low span of control. Organizations structured in accordance with this theory are

called "command and control" organizations. They have a relatively high percentage of

managers and supervisors and many layers resulting in "tall" organization.

Contemporary management theory holds that "command and control" organizations are

inefficient and inappropriate to today's workplace. Peter Drucker predicted that in 20 years,

large businesses would be knowledge-based and therefore composed largely of people who

direct and control their own performance through information obtained from peers,

customers and, on occasion, higher management. Organizations, he said, will shift from manual

and clerical workers to knowledgeable specialists who will resist the traditional command and

control model. Current writers and executives support this thinking. Empowered employees,

larger spans of control, and flatter organizational structures are current indicators of the more

efficient and effective organizations.

Span of control has a direct bearing on the number of layers in an organization structure, which

is a measure of the length of an organization's lines of communications. These two measures are

indicators of the efficiency and effectiveness of an agency. Tom Peters suggests that most

organizations should need only three layers: first line supervisors, division heads and unit

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manager (plant, operations or distribution manager). He suggests five layers are the maximum

needed for any organization from top to bottom, with the maximum reserved only for very

complex organizations such as multidimensional firms .Most authorities agree with these

recommendations.

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Table of Content

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INTRODUCTION:

Organisation involves division of work among people whose efforts must be co-ordinated to achieve

specific objectives and to implement pre-determined strategies. Organisation is the foundation upon

which the whole structure of management is built. It is the backbone of management. After the

objectives of an enterprise are determined and the plan is prepared, the next step in the management

process is to organise the activities of the enterprise to execute the plan and to attain the objectives of

the enterprise. The term Organising organisation is given a variety of interpretations. In any case, there

are two broad ways in which the term is used. In the first sense, organisation is understood as a dynamic

process and a managerial activity which is necessary for bringing people together and tying them

together in the pursuit of common objectives. When used in the other sense, organisation refers to the

structure of relationships among positions and jobs which is built up for the realisation of common

objectives. Without organising managers cannot function as managers. Organisation is concerned with

the building, developing and maintaining of a structure of working relationships in order to accomplish

the objectives of the enterprise. Organisation means the determination and assignment of duties to

people, and also the establishment and the maintenance of authority relationships among these grouped

activities. It is the structural framework within which the various efforts are coordinated and related to

each other. Sound organisation contributes greatly to the continuity and success of the enterprise. The

distinguished industrialist of America, Andrew Carnegie has shown his confidence in organisation by

stating that: "Take away our factories, take away our trade, our avenues of transportation, our money,

leave nothing but our organisation, and in four years we shall have re-established ourselves." That

shows the significance of managerial skills and organisation. However, good organisation structure does

not by itself produce good performance. But a poor organisation structure makes good performance

impossible, no matter how good the individual may be.

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Objectives of the study

To s

Meaning of organising:

It is a very important managerial function. Organising is the process of identifying and

grouping activities required to attain the objectives, delegating authority, creating responsibility

and establishing relationships for the people to work effectively.

DEFINITION OF ORGANIZATION:

The term 'Organisation' connotes different things to different people. Many writers have attempted to

state the nature, characteristics and principles of organisation in their own way. It can be used as a group

of persons working together or as a structure of relationships or as a process of management. Now, let

us analyse some of the important definition of organising or organisation, and understand the meaning

of organisation.

According to Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, ‘organising’ is “determining what tasks are

to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where

decisions are to be made.”

According to Louis A Allen, "Organisation is the process of identifying and grouping the work to be

performed, defining and delegating responsibility and authority, and establishing relationships for the

purpose of enabling people to work most effectively together in accomplishing objectives.

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According to Sheldon, "Organisation is the process of so combining the work which individuals or

groups have to perform with facilities necessary for its execution, that the duties so performed provide

the best channels for efficient, systematic, positive and coordinated application of available effort."

In the words of Chester I Bernard, "Organisation is a system of co-operative activities of two or more

persons."

Mc Ferland has defined organisation as, "an identifiable group of people contributing their efforts

towards the attainment of goals".

According to North Whitehead, "Organisation is the adjustment of diverse elements, so that their mutual

relationship may exhibit more pre-determined quality."

In the words of Theo Haimann, "Organising is the process of defining and grouping the activities of the

enterprise and establishing the authority relationships among them. In performing the organising

function, the manager defines, departmentalises and assigns activities so that they can be most

effectively executed."

In the words of Mooney and Railey, "Organisation is the form of every human association for the

attainment of a common purpose.”

In the words of Koontz and O'Donnell, "Organisation involves the grouping of activities necessary to

accomplish goals and plans, the assignment of these activities to appropriate departments and the

provision of authority, delegation and co-ordination."

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Barnard defined organization as an identifiable group of people contributing their efforts towards tile

attainment of goals. "An organization comes into existence when there are a number of persons in

communication and relationship to each other and are willing to contribute towards a common

endeavor". People form groups or organizations and pool their efforts by defining and dividing various

activities, responsibility and authority.

As such an organization has the following characteristics:

1. Communication

2. Cooperative efforts

3. Common objectives

4. Rules and regulations

Nature of Organising:

The organising natures are as follows;

 The identification and classification of required activities

 The grouping of activities necessary to attain the objectives

 The assignment of each grouping to a manager with the authority (delegation) necessary to

supervise it,

 The provision for coordination horizontally and vertically in the organisation structure.

STEPS IN ORGANIZING:

Organizing involves the following interrelated steps;

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(i) Determination of Objectives. Organization is always related to certain objectives. Therefore, it

is essential for the management to identify the objectives before starting any activity. It will help the

management in the choice of men and materials with the help of which it can achieve its objectives.

Objectives also serve as the guidelines for the management and the workers. They bring about unity of

direction in the organization.

(ii) Identification and Grouping of Activities. If the members of the group are to pool their efforts

effectively, there must be proper division of the major activities. Each job should be properly classified

and grouped. This will enable the people to know what is expected of them as members of the group and

will help in avoiding duplication of efforts. For instance, the total activities of an industrial organization

may be divided into major functions like production, purchasing, marketing, financing, etc. and each

such function is further subdivided into various jobs. The jobs, then, can be classified and grouped to

ensure the effective implementation of the other steps.

(iii) Assignment of Duties. After classifying and grouping the activities into various jobs, they

should be allotted to the individuals so that there are round ' pegs in round holes. Each individual should

be given a specific job to do according to his ability and made responsible for that. He should also be

given the adequate authority to do the job, assigned to him.

(iv) Developing Authority, Responsibility and Relationships. Since so many individuals work in

the same organization, it is the responsibility of management: to lay down structure of relationships in

the organization. Everybody should clearly know to whom he is accountable. This will help in the

smooth working of the enterprise by facilitating delegation of responsibility and authority.

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TYPES OF ORGANIZATION:

According to Talcott Parson Scheme, organizations can be classified primarily into four categories

based on functions:

(a) Economic Organizations:

Economic organizations are primarily concerned with producing something of value to the society. They

are wedded to a philosophy of generating surplus/ profit. Industrial, commercial and, trading concerns

are included in this category.

(b) Political, organizations:

Political organizations survive on the basis of service to society. They help in achieving the basic values

cherished by the society. They, collect resources from the society. Employ them judiciously, and help in

maintaining peace and stability in the society. All governmental agencies are included in this category.

(c) Integrative organizations:

Integrative organization tried with social, control and maintenance. Police departments and other

protective organizations (courts etc.) are included in this category.

(d) Pattern maintenance organizations:

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Pattern maintenance organizations, like, educational institutions, research institutions, religious

organizations, clubs etc. are primarily concerned with, long-term interests bf society, culture, knowledge

values, etc.,

According to Samuel Deep’s Classification Scheme:

1. For, profit organizations:

These organizations provide goods and services at a profit. Companies, partnership firms, sole,

proprietorship - firm are organised, along these lines and they generate profit for survival and

continuance, in the market.

2. Government organizations:

These organizations satisfy the public need, for, order and, provide a means for people to exercise some

measure of control over their environment.

3. Protective organizations:

They shield citizens from danger, Police, and military services etc.

4. Service organizations:

They act in the interest of, the general public without always receiving payments in full for services

rendered

5. Political organizations:

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They seek to influence legislation by electing a member of their group to public office (political parties,

groups and associations).

6. Religious organizations:

They provide for the spiritual needs of members and try to enlist nonbelievers into their fold (churches,

sects, orders etc.).

7. Social organizations:

They satisfy the needs of persons to make friendships and to have contact, with, others-who have

contact with others who have compatible interests (clubs, teams, fraternities).

Formal Organization and Informal Organization:

The formal organisation refers to the structure of jobs and positions with clearly defined functions and

relationships as prescribed by the top management. This type of organisation is built by the management

to realise objectives of an enterprise and is bound by rules, systems and procedures. Everybody is

assigned a certain responsibility for the performance of the given task and given the required amount of

authority for carrying it out. Informal organisation, which does not appear on the organisation chart,

supplements the formal organisation in achieving organisational goals effectively and efficiently. The

working of informal groups and leaders is not as simple as it may appear to be. Therefore, it is

obligatory for every manager to study thoroughly the working pattern of informal relationships in the

organisation and to use them for achieving organisational objectives.

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Formal Organisation:

Chester I Bernard defines formal organisation as -"a system of consciously coordinated activities or

forces of two or more persons. It refers to the structure of well-defined jobs, each bearing a definite

measure of authority, responsibility and accountability." The structure is consciously designed to enable

the organizational members to work together for accomplishing common objectives. The individual

must adjust to the formal organization. It tells him to do certain things in a specified manner, to obey

orders from designated individuals and to cooperate with others. The essence of formal organisation is

conscious common purpose and comes into being when persons–

(i) Are able to communicate with each other

(ii) Are willing to act and

(iii) Share a purpose.

The formal organisation is built around four key pillars. They are:

o Division of labour

o Scalar and functional processes

o Structure and

o Span of control

Thus, a formal organisation is one resulting from planning where the pattern of structure has already

been determined by the top management.

Characteristics of Formal Organization:

The basic characteristics of formal organization are as follows;

(i) Organization structure is laid down by the top management to achieve organizational goals.

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(ii) Organization structure is based on division of labor and specialization to achieve efficiency in

operations.

(iii) Organization structure concentrates on the jobs to be performed and not the individuals who are

to perform jobs.

(iv) The organization does not take into consideration the sentiments of organizational members.

(v) The authority and responsibility relationships created by the organization structure are to be

honored by everyone. The position in the organization hierarchy determines the relative status of the

incumbent.

Advantages of formal organisation:

1. The formal organisation structure concentrates on the jobs to be performed. It, therefore, makes

everybody responsible for a given task.

2. A formal organisation is bound by rules, regulations and procedures. It thus ensures law and order in

the organisation.

3. The organisation structure enables the people of the organisation to work together for accomplishing

the common objectives of the enterprise

Disadvantages or criticisms of formal organisation:

1. The formal organisation does not take into consideration the sentiments of organisational members.

2. The formal organisation does not consider the goals of the individuals. It is designed to achieve the

goals of the organisation only.

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3. The formal organisation is bound by rigid rules, regulations and procedures. This makes the

achievement of goals difficult.

INFORMAL ORGANIZATION:

Informal organisation refers to the relationship between people in the organisation based on personal

attitudes, emotions, prejudices, likes, dislikes etc. an informal organisation is an organisation which is

not established by any formal authority, but arises from the personal and social relations of the people.

These relations are not developed according to procedures and regulations laid down in the formal

organisation structure; generally large formal groups give rise to small informal or social groups. These

groups may be based on same taste, language, culture or some other factor. These groups are not pre-

planned, but they develop automatically within the organisation according to its environment.

Characteristics features of informal organisation:

1. Informal organisation is not established by any formal authority. It is unplanned and arises

spontaneously.

2. Informal organisations reflect human relationships. It arises from the personal and social relations

amongst the people working in the organisation.

3. Formation of informal organisations is a natural process. It is not based on rules, regulations and

procedures.

4. The inter-relations amongst the people in an informal organisation cannot be shown in an

organisation chart.

5. In the case of informal organisation, the people cut across formal channels of communications and

communicate amongst themselves.

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6. The membership of informal organisations is voluntary. It arises spontaneously and not by deliberate

or conscious efforts.

7. Membership of informal groups can be overlapping as a person may be member of a number of

informal groups.

8. Informal organisations are based on common taste, problem, language, religion, culture, etc. it is

influenced by the personal attitudes, emotions, whims, likes and dislikes etc. of the people in the

organisation.

Benefits of Informal organisation:

1. It blends with the formal organisation to make it more effective.

2. Many things which cannot be achieved through formal organisation can be achieved through informal

organisation.

3. The presence of informal organisation in an enterprise makes the managers plan and act more

carefully.

4. Informal organisation acts as a means by which the workers achieve a sense of security and

belonging. It provides social satisfaction to group members.

5. An informal organisation has a powerful influence on productivity and job satisfaction.

6. The informal leader lightens the burden of the formal manager and tries to fill in the gaps in the

manager's ability.

7. Informal organisation helps the group members to attain specific personal objectives.

8. Informal organisation is the best means of employee communication. It is very fast.

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9. Informal organisation gives psychological satisfaction to the members. It acts as a safety valve for the

emotional problems and frustrations of the workers of the organisation because they get a platform to

express their feelings.

10. It serves as an agency for social control of human behaviour.

Significance of Informal Organization:

The importance of informal organization arises from the functions performed by informal groups. The

important functions of informal Organization are as under:

(i) It serves as a very useful channel of communication in the organization. The informal

communication is very fast.

(ii) It blends with the formal Organization to make it more effective. It gives support to the formal

Organization.

(iii) The informal leader lightens the burden of the formal manager and tries to fill in the gaps in the

manager's abilities.

(iv) Informal Organization gives psychological satisfaction to the members. They get a platform to

express their feelings.

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(v) The presence of informal Organization encourages the manager to plan and act carefully. Thus,

informal organizations support and supplement the formal Organization. There are certain disadvantages

also of informal organizations. They put resistance to change and conform to old practices. The

communication in informal Organization is very fast; sometimes, it creates rumors, which may prove

dangerous to the enterprise.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORMAL AND INFORMAL ORGANIZATION:

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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE:

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An organization structure shows the authority and responsibility relationships between the various

positions in the organization by showing who reports to whom. It is a set of planned relationships

between groups of related functions and between physical factors and personnel required for the

achievement of organizational goals.

Organization involves establishing an appropriate structure for the goal seeking activities. The structure

of an organization is generally shown on an organization chart or a job- task pyramid. It shows the

authority and responsibility relationships between various positions in the organization. It is significant

to note that the organization structure is directly related to the attainment of the organization objectives.

For instance, if an undertaking is in production line, the, dominant element in its organization chart,

would be manufacturing and assembling. A good organization structure should not be static but

dynamic. It should be subject to change from time to time in the light o f the changes in the business

environment. While designing the organization structure, due attention should be given to the principles

of sound organization.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE:

Organization structure contributes in the following ways to the efficient functioning of organizations:

1. Clear-cut Authority Relationships. Organization structure allocates authority and responsibility. It

specifies who is to direct whom and who is accountable for what results. The structure helps an

organization member to know what his role is and how it relates to other roles.

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2. Pattern of Communication. Organization structure provides the patterns of communication and co-

ordination. By grouping activities and people, structure facilitates communication between people

centered on their job activities. People who have joint problems to solve often need to share

information.

3. Location of Decision Centers. Organization structure determines the location of decision-making in

the organization. A departmental store, for instance, may follow a structure that leaves pricing, sales

promotion and other matters largely up to individual departments to ensure that varied departmental

conditions are considered. In contrast, an oil refinery may concentrate on production, scheduling and

maintenance decisions at top levels to ensure that interdependencies along the flow of work are

considered.

4. Proper Balancing. Organization structure creates the proper balance and emphasis of activities.

Those more critical to the enterprise's success might be placed higher in the organization. Research in

a pharmaceutical company, for instance, might be singled out for reporting to the general manager or the

managing director of the company. Activities of comparable importance might be given roughly equal

levels in the structure to give them equal emphasis.

5. Stimulating Creativity. Sound organization structure stimulates creative thinking and initiative

among organizational members by providing well defined patterns of authority. Everybody knows the

area where he specializes and where his efforts will be appreciated.

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6. Encouraging Growth. An organization structure provides the framework within which an enterprise

functions. If it is flexible, it will help in meeting challenges and creating opportunities for growth. A

sound organization structure facilitates growth of enterprise by increasing its capacity to handle

increased level of activity.

7. Making Use of Technological Improvements. A sound organization structure, which is adaptable to

changes, can make the best possible use of latest technology. It will modify the existing pattern of

authority-responsibility relationships in the wake of technological improvements.

In short, existence of a good organization structure is essential for better management. Properly

designed organization can help improve teamwork and productivity by providing a framework within

which the; people can work together most effectively. While building the organization structure, it is

essential to relate the people to design. The organization structure, which has technical excellence, may

be quite useless for practical purposes because it is not suited to the needs of the people. Thus, an

organization structure should be developed according to the needs of the people in the organization.

Structure in an organization has three components :

 Complexity, referring to the degree to which activities within the organization are differentiated. This

differentiation has three dimensions:

- horizontal differentiation refers to the degree of differentiation between units based on the orientation

of members, the nature of tasks they perform and their education and training,

- vertical differentiation is characterized by the number of hierarchical levels in the organization, and

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- spatial differentiation is the degree to which the location of the organization's offices, facilities and

personnel are geographically distributed;

 Formalization refers to the extent to which jobs within the organization are specialized. The degree

of formalization can vary widely between and within organizations;

 Centralization refers to the degree to which decision making is concentrated at one point in the

organization.

Designing organizational structures:

Some important considerations in designing an effective organizational structure are:

 Clarity: The structure of the organization should be such that there is no confusion about people's

goals, tasks, style of functioning, reporting relationship and sources of information.

 Understanding: The structure of an organization should provide people with a clear picture of how

their work fits into the organization.

 De-centralization: The design of an organization should compel discussions and decisions at the

lowest possible level.

 Stability and adaptability: While the organizational structure should be adaptable to environmental

changes, it should remain steady during unfavourable conditions.

COMPONENTS OF ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE:

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Within the framework of the formal organization, there are three basic organizational relationships,

namely, (i) responsibility (ii) authority, and (iii) accountability. These relationships are designated as

formal because they are predetermined by the management as a way of relating and combining the

diverse functions of the enterprise. This section aims at providing an insight into these relationships.

RESPONSIBILITY:

"By responsibility we mean the work or duties assigned to a person by virtue of his position in the

organization. It refers to the mental and physical activities, which must be performed to carry out a task

or duty. That means every person who performs any kind of mental or physical effort as an assigned

task has responsibility."' In order to enable the subordinate to perform his responsibility well, the

superior must clearly tell the former as to what is expected of him. In other words, the delegant must

determine clearly the task or duty that is assigned to the delegate. The duty must be expressed either in

terms of functions or of objectives. If a subordinate is asked to control the operations of a machine, the

duty is in terms of function. But if he is asked to produce a particular number of pieces of a product, the

duty is in terms of target or objective. Determination bf duties in terms of objectives will enable the

subordinate to know by what standards his performance will be evaluated.

AUTHORITY:

Authority is a derivative of responsibility. It is the right to order or command and is delegated from the

superior to the subordinate to discharge his responsibilities. Right to procure or use raw materials, to

spend money or ask for the allotment of money, to hire or fire people, etc. has to be delegated to the

individuals to whom the work has been assigned. For instance, if the chief executive of a plant assigns

the production manager with the production of particular types of goods and services, he should also

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grant him the authority to use raw materials, money and machinery, hire workers and so on to fulfill the

production schedules prescribed as his duty.

A superior delegating the authority should also determine what types of authority are to be delegated.

Authority should not be confused with unlimited authority. The amount of authority delegated should be

commensurate with the responsibilities or duties assigned. In other words, there must be a balance

between responsibility and authority. However, in practice, the powers or rights necessary to perform a

given responsibility may vary from one situation to another.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

Accountability is the obligation to carry out responsibility and exercise authority in terms of

performance standards established by the superior. Creation of accountability is the process of justifying

the granting of authority to a subordinate for the accomplishment of a particular task. In order to make

this process effective, the standards of performance should be determined before assigning a task and

should be accepted by the subordinate. An important principle of management governing this basic

relationship is that of single accountability. An individual should be, answerable to only one immediate

superior and no more.

SPAN OF MANAGEMENT OR SPAN OF CONTROL:

The term 'span of management' is also known as 'span of control,' 'span of supervision' and 'span

of authority'. It represents a numerical limit of subordinates to be supervised and controlled by a

manager. It is an important principle of sound organization. This principle is based on the theory of

relationships propounded by V.A.Graicunas, a French management consultant. Graicunas analyzed

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superior-subordinate relationship and developed a mathematical formula based on the geometric

increase in complexities of managing as the number of subordinates’ increases.

Pioneering work was done by Henri Fayol in the sphere of span of control analysis. Span of control

definition is an integral part of modern management theory and principles. It is a very important concept

of human resource management. Span of control is defined as the number of people a manager can

supervise effectively.

Span of control is of two types. span of control could either be narrow or wide. A narrow span of

control means that a manager or supervisor has fewer employees under his supervision, whereas, a wide

span of control means that a single manager has many employees under his supervision. For example, a

manager having twenty subordinates under him in the organizational hierarchy would have a wider span

of control as opposed to a manager who has ten subordinates under him. A span of control is wide

usually when there are well established operating procedures and few problems are expected in running

the concern. A wide span of control gives rise to a flat organizational structure.

The concept of organizational structure and span of control are interrelated. There is an inverse

relationship between the organizational structure and span of control. If a company has a narrow span of

control, the number of levels in the organization will be greater. You could also say that the company

will have a tall organizational structure. A narrower span of control could also indicate that the

employees are self motivated, experienced and need very little supervision due to their high capacity to

deliver. It could also indicate that work is extremely repetitive in nature and employees have developed

a proficiency in the same. Narrower spans could also aid in more effective management as managers

would have lesser subordinates under them, thereby enhancing managerial quality. Narrower spans

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could also indicate that the workers and management are physically located at distances from each

other. It is also required when workers need greater supervision and new challenges arise frequently..

SPAN OF CONTROL ANALYSIS

Span of control analysis is based on an understanding of the chain of command in an

organization. The chain of command refers to the line along which orders are passed down in an

organization. Reports of the implementation of the orders makes its way up the same line. Span of

control management aids in ensuring clear cut lines of communication within the organization. This

enhances inter and intra team coordination by removing any ambiguities. Subordinates and superiors

know which department they belong to, what is expected of them and whom do they report to. This

clarity aids in greater motivation and enhanced employee performance.

SPAN OF CONTROL IN TALL AND FLAT ORGANISATIONS

The extent of the span of control in an organization depends on the type of organization and the

capability of the managers therein. A tall organization usually has a narrower span of control when

compared to a flat organization. A tall structure due to the nature of its span of control management

could have more managers at the top. This results in too much time taken in the flow of communication

within the organization. This could increase the organization’s response time to situations and could

prove costly. On the other hand, a wider organizational structure and span of control results in the

quicker movement of messages. The number of managers in such a span of control is less and this saves

on cost.

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IDEAL SPAN OF CONTROL

For a significant period of time, management theorists and practitioners have debated and discussed on

what should constitute an ideal span of control. An ideal span of control generally depends on several

factors such as the nature of the organization, skills of managers and employees and the quality of

interaction that takes place between them. Span of control analysis seeks to understand what should

constitute an ideal number of subordinates under a superior.

An ideal span of control may not be determined that easily as it is dependent on a number of variables.

A complex external operating environment characterized by unpredictability may demand a wider span

of control. The concepts of centralization and decentralization too have an impact on the span of control.

Centralization may indicate a wider span of control with very little leeway being given to subordinates.

Decentralization would indicate the opposite. The span of control is also dependent on the personality of

the manager. A manager who enjoys delegating could indicate a desire towards a narrower span of

control.

An ideal span of control is around 15 to 20 subordinates per manager, while according to the traditional

authors the ideal number is around 6 subordinates per manager. In reality, the ideal span of control

depends upon various factors, such as:

1. Nature of an organization

2. Nature of job

3. Skills and competencies of manager

4. Employees skills and abilities

5. The kind of interaction that takes happens between superiors and subordinates, etc

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WIDE SPAN OF SUPERVISION:

When the span of supervision is wider, the number of executives needed to supervise the workers will

be less. This will make the organization structure wide. Such a structure would be less expensive

because of less overhead costs of supervision. Since the number of levels is less, there will be better

communication between the worker and the management and better coordination. However, the quality

of performance is likely to deteriorate because one executive cannot effectively supervise a large

number of subordinates. Supervision will not be able to devote sufficient time in directing each and

every subordinate.

An example of a wide span of control is shown in the diagram below:

The Advantages Of Wide Span Of Control Are:

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• There are less layers of management to pass a message through, so the message reaches more

employees faster

• It costs less money to run a wider span of control because a business does not need to employ as

many managers

The Width Of The Span Of Control Depends On:

The type of product being made – products which are easy to make or deliver will need less

supervision and so can have a wider span of control

Skills of managers and workers – a more skilful workforce can operate with a wider span of control

because they will need less supervision. A more skilful manager can control a greater number of staff

A tall organisation has a larger number of managers with a narrow span of control whilst a flat

organisation has few managers with a wide span of control.

A tall organisation can suffer from having too many managers (a huge expense) and decisions can take a

long time to reach the bottom of the hierarchy

BUT, a tall organisation can provide good opportunities for promotion and the manager does not have to

spend so much time managing the staff

Chain of command is the line on which orders and decisions are passed down from top to bottom of

the hierarchy. In a hierarchy the chain of command means that a production manager may be higher up

the hierarchy, but will not be able to tell a marketing person what to do.

NARROW SPAN OF SUPERVISION:

The narrow span of supervision will lead to a tall structure and to an increase in the executive payroll as

compared to the flat structure another drawback is that the additional layers of supervisor will
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complicate communication from the chief executive down to operative employees and back up the line.

There will also be a problem of effective coordination of the activities of different persons in the

organization because of more levels of executives. However, the narrow span of supervision has the

benefit of better personal contacts between the supervisors and the subordinates. It facilitates tight

control and Close supervision. Tall organization structure gives sufficient to an executive for developing

relations with the subordinates.

In recent years, there has been a controversy around the significance of the concept of span of control.

The transformation in the style of decision-making has had an inevitable bearing on question relating to

the number of people an executive can supervise. Moreover, the use of delegation and decentralization

is highly advocated these days. It is realized that narrow span of control is an effective means of forcing

the executives to delegate. It is also argued that if an executive has enough number of subordinates to

supervise, there is a point beyond which intimate control becomes very difficult. But how this point,

should be determined is the main question.

The Advantages Of A Narrow Span Of Control Are:

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• A narrow span of control allows a manager to communicate quickly with the employees under

them and control them more easily

• Feedback of ideas from the workers will be more effective

• It requires a higher level of management skill to control a greater number of employees, so there

is less management skill required

COMPARISON OF SPAN-OF-CONTROL

Narrow Span Wide Span

Close supervision & directed control. Overloaded supervisors, loss of control.

Many levels of management, high cost of Low management overhead, better operational

management staff. cost and profit margins.

Less independence and decision authority Encourages empowerment through delegation

for subordinates. of authority and decision making.

Large distance between top management & Employees have better communication with

bottom staff. Poor executive the top management.

communication and visibility.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING SPAN-OF-CONTROL

1. Environmental Stability: When the external environment is more stable than dynamic, more

employees can be supervised by a single manager. Stable environment is less demanding and reduces

the need for quick response, thereby provide more flexibility in time and schedules.

2. Nature of work: Routine jobs, tasks that require limited skills or are focused, require only

occasional management decision and coaching, thus can have wider span of control. On the other hand,

the tasks that are inherently complicated; loosely defined and require frequent decision making would

require narrow span of control.

3. Experience level: When the average job related experience of employees is high, they require

little training or direction, the tasks can be easily delegated. Under such situations, span of control of

managers can be increased.

4. Budget Constraints: When an organization is facing financial hardship or is downsizing, it

needs to increase the span of control. On the contrary, when an organization gets more investment, it

tends to reduce the span and inflate it’s management.

METHODS TO MAXIMIZE THE SPAN-OF-CONTROL

1. Information technology: Use of efficient communication tools like online wiki’s, videos,

project management and tracking tools, and other decision support systems can reduce the overall

relationship complexity, thereby encouraging managers to supervise more subordinates.

2. More training: Investing in training the employees for the current job skills and also future

skills makes them more independent. Constantly involving the employees in various trainings not only

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increases the collective intelligence within the organization but also results in readily available resource

pool in-house.

3. Work design: If the tasks are designed to be independent, loosely coupled with few

interdependencies and probable conflicts, the relationship complexity can be reduced.

FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT SPAN OF CONTROL

While early discussions of span of control often centered on pinpointing the optimal number of

subordinates, a number of factors may influence the span of control most appropriate for a given

management position. Assuming that all other aspects of a manager's job are the same, these factors

would likely alter the span of management as follows:

1. Job complexity. Subordinate jobs that are complex, ambiguous, dynamic or otherwise

complicated will likely require more management involvement and a narrower span of management.

2. Similarity of subordinate jobs. The more similar and routine the tasks that subordinates are

performing, the easier it is for a manager to supervise employees and the wider the span of management

that will likely be effective.

3. Physical proximity of subordinates. The more geographically dispersed a group of

subordinates the more difficult it is for a manager to be in regular contact with them and the fewer

employees a manager could reasonably oversee, resulting in a narrower span of management.

4. Abilities of employees. Managers who supervise employees that lack ability, motivation, or

confidence will have to spend more time with each employee. The result will be that the manager cannot

supervise as many employees and would be most effective with a narrower span of management.

5. Abilities of the manager. Some managers are better organized, better at explaining things to

subordinates, and more efficient in performing their jobs. Such managers can function effectively with a

wider span of management than a less skilled manager.

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6. Technology. Cell phones, email, and other forms of technology that facilitate communication

and the exchange of information make it possible for managers to increase their spans of management

over managers who do not have access to or who are unable to use the technology

IMPORTANCE OF SPAN OF CONTROL

Determination of an appropriate span of control is important for two reasons:

• Span of management affects the efficient utilization of managers and the effective performance of

their subordinates. Too wide a span may mean that managers are overstraining themselves and that the

subordinates are receiving too little guidance or control. Too narrow a span possibly will denote that

managers are underutilized and that their subordinates are over controlled.

• There is a relationship between span of management and organizational structure. A narrow span

results in a “Tall” organization with many levels of supervision between top management and the lowest

organizational levels. This creates more communication and cost problems. There is also the problem of

finding trained managerial personnel. On the other hand, a wide span for the same number of employees

means a “Flat” organization with fewer management levels between top and middle.

FACTORS DETERMINING SPAN OF SUPERVISION:

The span of control varies from individual to individual, time to time and place to place. The factors,

which determine the span of control, are discussed below:

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1. Ability of the Managers: Individuals differ in various qualities like leadership, decision-making and

communication. The span may be wider if the manager possesses these skills in greater degree as

compared to others.

2., Time available for Supervision: The span should be narrow at the higher levels because top

managers have less time available for supervision. They have to devote the major portion of their time

to planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Each top manager will delegate the task of

supervision to his subordinates who have to devote comparatively less time on the important functions

of management.

3. Nature of Work: When the spans are narrowed, the levels in the organization increase. This involves

delegation of authority and responsibility. If the work is of a routine and repetitive nature, it can easily

be delegated to the subordinates.

4. 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.

5. Degree of Decentralization: Under decentralization, the power to make decisions is delegated to the

lower levels. The span of management will be narrow in such cases so as to exercise more and more

control.

6. Effectiveness of Communication: An effective system of communication in the organization favors

large number of levels because there will be no difficulty in transmission of information in spite of a

large number of intervening layers.

7. Control Mechanism: The span of control also depends upon the control mechanism being followed.

Control may be followed either through personal supervision or through reporting. The former favors

narrow span and the latter favors a wide span.

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To sum up, it can be said that an executive should be expected to supervise a reasonable number of

subordinates. What is reasonable depends on a variety of factors like individual differences in

executives, number and capacity of subordinates, the nature of work, availability of time, ease of

communication, internal checks and controls and degree of delegation in the organization. If the span of

control is narrow, there will be more organizational levels, which in turn may impede communication. If

the number of levels is reduced and the span of control is widened, the supervisory load may become

too heavy. Sound management requires a proper balance between supervisory load and organization

levels.

CONCLUSION

The trend in recent years has been to move toward wider spans of control to reduce costs, speed decision

making, increase flexibility and empower employees. However, to avoid potential problems of wide

spans of control, organizations are having to invest in training managers and employees and in

technology enabling the sharing of information and enhancing communication between and among

managers and employee. At lower levels of the organization, however, where there is less interlocking,

or where responsibility is concerned more with the performance of specific tasks, the span of control

may be larger. It varies widely in different organizations depending on their stuctures.

A number factors influence the limit of span of control in various types of organization structure:

- Technology (Cell phones, email, and other forms of technology that facilitate communication and the

exchange of information make it possible for managers to increase their spans of management over

managers who do not have access to or who are unable to use the technology)

- organization level

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- job complexity (Subordinate jobs that are complex, ambiguous, dynamic or otherwise complicated will

likely require more management involvement and a narrower span of management).

- job similarity (The more similar and routine the tasks that subordinates are performing, the easier it is

for a manager to supervise employees and the wider the span of management that will likely be

effective.)

- supervisory specialities

- measure of overall organization effectiveness

- the nature of the organization

the ability and personal qualities of the manager including the capacity to cope with interruptions

(Some managers are better organized, better at explaining things to subordinates, and more efficient in

performing their jobs. Such managers can function effectively with a wider span of management than a

less skilled manager)

- the amount of time the manager has available from other activities to spend with subordinates

- the ability and training of subordinate staff (Managers who supervise employees that lack ability,

motivation, or confidence will have to spend more time with each employee. The result will be that the

manager cannot supervise as many employees and would be most effective with a narrower span of

management)

- the effectiveness of co-ordination and the nature of communication and control systems- the physical

location or geographical spread of subordinates (The more geographically dispersed a group of

subordinates the more difficult it is for a manager to be in regular contact with them and the fewer

employees a manager could reasonably oversee, resulting in a narrower span of management)

-the length of the scalar chain

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If the span of control is too wide, it becomes difficult to supervise subordinates effectively and this

places stress on the manager. With larger groupings, informal leaders and sub-groups or cliques are

more likely to develop, and these may operate contrary to the policy of management. There may be lack

of time to carry out all activities properly. Planning and development, training, inspection and control

may suffer in particular, leading to poor job performance. A wide span of control may limit

opportunities for promotion. Too wide a span of control may also result in a slowness to adapt to change

or to the introduction of new methods or procedures.

If the span of control is too narrow, this may present a problem of co-ordination and consistency in

decision-making, and hinder effective communications across the organisation structure. Morale and

initiative of subordinates may suffer as a result of too close a level of supervision. Narrow spans of

control increase administrative costs and can prevent the best use being made of the limited resource of

managerial talent. They can lead to additional levels of authority in the organisation creating an

unnecessarily long scalar chain.

Downsizing, in which firms attempt to cut costs by eliminating positions, has become popular among

major corporations in recent years. This strategy has had an impact on decentralization and span of

control. Employees who used to report to managers whose positions were eliminated have been assigned

additional responsibilities. Span of control has become wider in downsized companies, and workers

have become less specialized as they have taken on additional duties.

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References

 Davis, R.C. (1951), The fundamentals of top management, Harper, New York

 http://www.answers.com/library/Small+Business+Encyclopedia

 Drucker, Peter (1954), The Practice of Management

 Joseph L. (1965), "Management Theory", in: March, James G., Handbook of Organizations,

Rand McNally, Chicago

 http://books.google.co.in/books.

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