Categorise each of the factors below as belonging to either a Tall or a Flat

organisational structure.

 Short chains of command.

 Many layers of management in the hierarchy
 Wide span of control (managers responsible for lots of subordinates)
 Long chains of command.
 Slower communication as messages pass through many layers of
management.
 Fewer layers of management in the hierarchy
 Quicker communication as messages pass through less layers of
management.
 Narrow span of control (Managers not responsible for many subordinates)

Tall Flat
Manny layers of hierarchy Short chains of command

Long chains of command Wide span of control

Slower communication as messages Fewer layers of management in the

passes through many layers of
management.
Narrow span of control (Managers
not responsible for many
subordinates)
hierarchy
Quicker communication as messages
passes through less layers of
management.

Both tall and flat organisational structures can be effective in the right
situation. If workers are more skilled and highly experienced, they may find
they get from a narrow span of control in a tall organisation demotivating as
they will expect to be trusted to do the job. However, a narrow span of
control may be useful if workers are new to the job or inexperienced

SKILLED NARROW FLAT TALL

STRUCTURES SCRUTINY EXPERIENCED DEMOTIVATING