90p-ASSIGNMENT

Unit 4: Span of Control

1. What is span of control?

Span of control refers to the maximum numbers effectively supervised by a single

individual. The number of members may be increased or decreased according to the
nature of work done by the subordinate or the ability of the supervision. In the
administration area, under one executive, nearly four of five subordinates may work. The
span of control enables the smooth functioning of the organization.
The term ‘span’ literally means the space the between two supports of a structure, e.g.
the space between two pillars of a bridge. The space between two pillars should be
neither too large nor to small. If it is too large, the bridge may collapse and if is too small,
it will enhance its cost. When this word is applied to management, it refers to the number
of subordinates a manager or a supervisor can supervise, manage or control effectively
and effectively. Therefore, span of supervision refers to the optimum number of
subordinates that a manager or supervisor can manage or control effectively.
According to Mr. Spriegal “Span of control means the number of people reporting directly
to an authority. The principle of span of control impulse that no single executive should
have more people looking to him for guidance and leadership than he can reasonably be
exacted to serve.’’
An organization is characterized by the presence of a number of levels and departments.
But more the levels are created more will be the administrative cost due to additional
staff required and more will be the difficulty to be encountered in communication and
controlling.
This is basically the problem of deciding the number of subordinates to report directly to
each manager. According to this principle there is a limit of the number of subordinates
that each manager can effectively supervise.

2. What is the importance of span of control?

The problem of span of control is a natural extension of the principle of hierarchy or

scalar system. The hierarchical organization involves a number of tiers or steps one
above the other in an organization, each step being headed by a single person. How
many such levels an organization have depends upon the total number of employees
at the bottom to be supervised and the number of subordinates each superior officer
can effectively supervise. This shows that there is a close relationship between
hierarchy arid span of control. Hence, the levels or tiers in hierarchy should be
 established after taking into account the span of control of a superior officer. If a
superior officer is expected to control a large number of persons than the can actually
control, the result is delay and inefficiency. The quality of the work of an organization
depends upon effective control and supervision. Hence, there is a strong need for the
principle of span of control. No organization can ignore it. If the exceeds the capacity
of on individual, the breakdown of the organization.

3. What are the factors that affect span of control?

The span of control depends on certain factors

1. Function
2. Time
3. Space
4. Personality of supervisor and of the subordinates
5. Delegation of authority
6. Techniques of supervision
Function: It refers to the nature of the work to be supervised. Where the nature of
work is of a routine, repetitive, measurable and identical character, the span of
control is more than when the work is of different character.
Time: It refers to the age of the organization. In old and established organization
practices become perfect and things get stabilized. Such organizations run
themselves, well through rapid supervision and greater span of control. But in newer
organizations, precedents will be few and new problems constantly demand
reference to the superiors.
Space: It refers to the place of work. If the subordinates are under the same root
along with the supervisor, the supervision becomes easier and quicker. If they work
at different places, supervision becomes difficult as they escape his personal
attention.
Personality: It is the sum total of all the traits of human behavior. It includes physical
and intellectual qualities of a person. If the supervisor is competent, energetic and
intelligent, he can supervise the work of large number of subordinates. Otherwise, he
can supervise only a smaller number of subordinates.
Delegation of authority: It also influences span of control. Some supervisor keeps
only a few functions for themselves and delegate the rest to their subordinates. By
doing so they can supervise a large number of subordinates.
Techniques of supervision: The techniques adopted by the superior also influence the
span of control. If the techniques of supervision are standardized, the span of control
will be more because subordinates do not need close supervision. Where the direct
supervision of the supervisor is required, the span of control will be less.
4. What is Graicuna’s Formula?

Graicuna develops a formula to calculate the number of relationships to enable the

executives to examine the complexity of span of control.
S. No. Relationship Formulae

1 Direct single A= n
2 Cross B= n(n-1)
3 Direct group C= n(2n-1)
2
“n” stands for the number of subordinates
Whether the principle enunciated by Graicuna is valid or not, whether the formulae
has
empirical validity or not, the problem that any increase in the number of subordinates
It would lead to complexity in the relationships between individual and groups has
aptly been aptly been brought out by Graicunas. It is this factor that needs to be
carefully considered in any discussion on how many subordinates an executive can
effectively control.