span of control
Supervisor's subordinate count
Span of control is the number of subordinates a manager or supervisor directly oversees.
A narrow span of control means fewer direct reports, allowing for closer supervision; a wide span means more subordinates and typically less hands-on management.
The concept is fundamental in organizational design, affecting how hierarchical or flat a company's structure becomes.
The reorganization widened each director's span of control from five to twelve employees.
Diagram showing workplace hierarchy
- reporting structureWho answers to whom
- chain of commandFormal authority hierarchy
- subordinatesThose ranked below
- levelsHeights or ranked stages
tall structure · centralization · decentralization · direct reports · middle management
Transferring responsibility downward
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
responsibility · empowerment · efficiency · productivity · workload distribution · team size · decision-making authority · resource management
Of small width
- wideOf great breadth
- optimalMost desirable outcome
- limitedRestricted in extent
- expandedMade larger or wider
extended · restricted · manageable · effective · appropriate · reasonable · ideal · practical
organizational chart
Diagram showing workplace hierarchy
- reporting structureWho answers to whom
- chain of commandFormal authority hierarchy
- subordinatesThose ranked below
levels · tall structure · centralization · decentralization · direct reports · middle management
delegation
Transferring responsibility downward
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
accountability · responsibility · empowerment · efficiency · productivity · workload distribution · team size · decision-making authority · resource management
narrow
Of small width
expanded · extended · restricted · manageable · effective · appropriate · reasonable · ideal · practical · workable
scientific management
Theory optimizing labor efficiency
- hierarchiestier, tiers, level, levels, rank
- hierarchyrank, ranked, authority, command, tiered
- org chartCEO, CFO, COO, department, division head
- org chartsorg chart, reporting structure, chain of command, hierarchy, boxes
- org structurehierarchy, departments, divisions, matrix, department
- organizational structureorg chart, hierarchy, chain of command, divisional, functional