What refers to the number of subordinates as supervisor has in control and responsible of?
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Definition: A span of control, also known as a span of management, is a resource management term and refers to the number of employees who report to a manager. A span of control means a manageable number of employees that a manager can control. The bigger the staff, the bigger the span of control. In the past, managers used to have, on
average, four employees to supervise. Later, it increased to over ten employees per manager due to the introduction of information technology that made monitoring and controlling easier. Now organizations can monitor more staff with fewer managers and lower costs. These days, due to the adoption of modern organizational concepts, teams are multidisciplinary with experts from different departments and reporting to different supervisors, making the concept of a span of control less
important. Many factors affect the span of control; some of them are given below.
Types of Span of ControlAn organization can have two types of a span of control depending on its structure.
Wide Span of ControlOrganizations with flat structures will have few hierarchical levels and a wide span of control. Here, supervisors supervise many employees. As there are fewer hierarchical levels, it has a lower cost and is very flexible in adapting to changes. The main advantage of this span of control is cost advantage, reduced planning time, and well-trained subordinates. The main disadvantage of this type of control is employee management if the amount of employees is large. Also, sometimes a large number of employees causes confusion and makes management difficult. Narrow Span of ControlOrganizations with many hierarchical levels will have a narrow span of control. Here, managers supervise fewer employees. A narrow span of control is useful with complex work requirements where constant managerial support is needed. The main advantage of this control is easy supervision, management, and effective planning and decision-making. The main disadvantage of this span of control is its cost. More managers mean more cost. Also, more hierarchical levels cause delays in communication. SummaryAn organization can have a span of control that depends on its requirements. For simple work with less supervision, a wide-span network is suitable. However, complex work requires close monitoring, so this type needs narrow span control. Big organizations can have both spans of control. For example, the top-level has a narrow span of control, and the lower level has a narrow span of control. Blog » HR Insights » Span of control definition The span of control definition refers to the amount of employees directly reporting to a manager or superior. Span of control is one of the cornerstones of management theory. Often in HR, when analyzing your company you will try to calculate the average span of control. This calculation will help you evaluate whether you need to start a recruitment process or not to get more managers. Keep reading and find out how to do it.
2 types of span of controlYou will find two types of span of control definition when measuring the ratio of employees to managers: Narrow span of controlA narrow span of control refers to the traditional way of seeing managers as having only a few subordinates. The organizational structure in this case is tall as opposed to flat. Wide span of controlA wide span of control occurs when one manager supervises many employees. Most big firms use wide span of control because it requires less operating costs. Narrow and wide span of controls have their advantages and disadvantages, and when it comes to choosing the right organizational structure for your business, every detail should be measured. How to calculate span of controlThe average span of control is calculated by adding up the amount of direct relationships a manager has with their employees and dividing it by the amount of managers. Organizational control is measured according to the amount of “subordinates” a manager has. These subordinates are employees not just officially under the manager’s control but that also entertain some sort of working relationship with the manager, where the manager takes the executive decision. Factors affecting span of controlThe factors that influence this are important for your HR team to know. It helps your HR and upper management team conceptualize and calculate what kind of management you need. The factors in question include:
What is a manageable span of control?A manageable span of control refers to the optimal number of employees a manager can manage. Before the advent of modern communication systems and management processes that are less hierarchical, there was an average of about 1 to 4. However, this has evolved considerably, and they may vary considerably according to the organization’s field or environment they are working in. An optimal span of control depends heavily on what sector you are working in. For example, if the type of work is very difficult and complex, a manager can manage 1-4 employees, whereas, this number can increase up to 20 subordinates for easy and repetitive work.
Did you find this information helpful? We hope so. Find out more content about human resources at our site Sesame HR. Do you want to know SesameHR?Sign up in less than 5 minutes and find out how you can digitize employee management with SesameHR and streamline your day-to-day. What refers to the number of subordinates a supervisor has?Span of control, also called span of management, is the term used in business management, particularly human resource management. The term refers to the number of subordinates or direct reports a supervisor is responsible for.
What you mean by span of control?Span of control (or span of management) is the number of subordinates who report directly to a manager or leader. The more employees assigned to a manager, the wider their span of control.
What is span of control mention types?The span of control is classified into two types: wide span of control and narrow span of control.
When managers oversee the work of their subordinates it is called controlling?Supervision. Managers continually oversee the work of their subordinates. Coordinating. Managers often must coordinate the work of others both inside the work unit and out.
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