The concept of “span of supervision” dates back to the Industrial Revolution and still plays a huge role in shaping organizational structures today. Simply put, we’re talking about the number of direct reports a supervisor (or manager) oversees.
With Gallup reporting that 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager, this concept has far-reaching consequences. Your organization’s span of control can impact everything from turnover to decision-making, communications, operational efficiency, and more.
Understanding the nuances here is key to optimizing team performance.
Key questions to address:
Let’s get into it.
Before diving into definitions, let’s cover how this concept has evolved: theories advocating for narrow spans of supervision date back to classical management theories from pioneers such as Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol in the early 20th century. These narrow spans were adopted to ensure close supervision of employees during the Industrial Revolution.
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Over the years, modern research has introduced more flexible models, recognizing that different organizational needs require distinct spans.
The terms “span of control” and “span of supervision” are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings.
“Span of control” refers to the number of direct reports a manager oversees.
In contrast, “span of supervision” describes a manager’s overall level of guidance to employees. This includes the number of direct reports and the degree of monitoring and support required.
In summary, “span of control” emphasizes the quantity of reports, while “span of supervision” considers both the amount of reports and the quality of oversight provided.
For example, let’s say a manager has a “span of control” of 10 employees (meaning 10 people directly report to them). Their “span of supervision” might be considered wider if those employees are highly skilled and require less hands-on management than a team with the same number of employees needing constant supervision.
A narrow span of control is where you have many layers, small teams, and fast communication. This can lead to enhanced oversight and quality control within an organization. However, it also slows down the flow of ideas and decisions because of the large structure.
In contrast, a wide span of control (also referred to as a flat organization) promotes greater autonomy for employees, allowing them to take more initiative in their roles. This structure can be cost-effective, as it reduces the number of management layers within the organization. A flat organizational structure encourages delegation and makes the organization more agile but usually results in a high managerial workload.
While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, you should consider the following key factors when determining the optimal span of supervision:
Larger organizations with hierarchical structures tend to have narrower spans of supervision. For example, companies with fewer than 1,000 employees often have wider spans than those with over 10,000 employees.
Experienced employees can typically handle more autonomy and require less direct supervision, allowing for a wider span.
From a mathematical point of view, an organization structure could be seen as a function of the number of reporting layers and the span of control in each layer. The smaller the number of layers, the more aligned your strategy is with customer experience. However, organizations with only a few reporting layers require a higher span of control.
There is a balance between these two elements, which provides an optimum for your organization. It is easy to benchmark the reporting layers and span of control. However, managing an R&D function differs from managing a call center, meaning data is often skewed. For that reason, internal comparisons are more effective as a starting point.
Teams handling intricate tasks, such as R&D or software development, require more oversight and, thus, a narrow span of control.
According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organizations in highly technical industries maintain an average span of 4-5 team members.
Managing a larger team in global and hybrid working environments can present additional challenges, necessitating a narrower span of control.
A culture that emphasizes collaboration and open communication may facilitate a wider span of control.
Optimizing the span of supervision is crucial for balancing managerial efficiency and team performance. Companies can customize their supervisory structures to address evolving demands by analyzing organizational needs and implementing adjustments.
The first step is to house all your HR data in one place where you can easily view reporting layers and visualize anomalies and inefficiencies. Take a product tour or chat with us today to get started.