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Span of Control
Span of control is the number of people who report to one manager. A narrow span builds a tall hierarchy with close supervision; a wide span flattens the organization and gives people more autonomy.
A restaurant manager with 35 direct reports cannot coach anyone, so shift leads are added. Fewer people now report to each leader, and coaching improves.
Can I actually support this many people well?
Flattening the organization to save money without checking whether the work is routine enough and the people skilled enough to handle less supervision.
Count your manager's direct reports. Is that span too wide, too narrow, or about right for the kind of work your team does?
When can a manager handle a wide span?
Show the answer
When work is routine, employees are skilled and experienced, tools make information easy to share, and the manager has few other duties.