Chapter 10
Span of Management
1
Objectives
• At the end of the chapter you will be able to
– Have knowledge about span of management and its
meaning
– Understand he factors affecting span of management
– Learn about Graicunas theory of span of
management
2
Introduction
• Span of management can also named as Span of
control, span of authority, span of responsibility
or span of supervision
• A sound organization depends upon the
effective performance of work by executives
3
Meaning
• Span of management means the number of people
managed efficiently by a single officer in an
organization
• It implies that a single executive should not be
expected to give guidance to move people
4
• The limit of number of members for span of
control may be increased or decreased
according to the levels of management
Meaning
• The number of employees reporting to a
supervisor.
• Traditional view, seven or so per manager.
• Many organizations today, 30 or more per
manager.
• Generally if supervisors must be closely
involved with employees span should be small.
5
Factors Affecting the Span of Management
• Character of supervision work
– The span of control may be increased whenever the
work is performed and standardized
• Leadership Qualities
– The personal ability and capacity of a supervisor can
influence the span of management
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Factors Affecting the Span of Management
• Qualities of subordinate
– If the subordinates have enough talent to perform
the work assigned to them, the manager can control
more number of subordinates
• Time available to supervisor
– Most of the executives spend a lot of time for
operating the work and administrative duties, hence
they can control lesser number of subordinates hat
the person who spends full time for their
supervision
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Factors Affecting the Span of Management
• Nature of work
– In case of the repetitive natured work or the work
the does not require extra ordinary talent, the
supervisor can control a large number of
subordinates
• Level of supervision
– The degree of span of control can be increased at
the bottom level management and decreased at top
level management
8
Factors Affecting the Span of Management
• Delegation of authority
– If the authority delegates the powers of decision
making, planning and execution to the subordinates,
the span of control may be increased
• Fixation of responsibility
– The subordinate need not contact the supervisor if
his responsibilities are clearly defined.
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Factors Affecting the Span of Management
• Using of standards
– Standards are used in an organization to detect the
errors or faults in the performance of work
• Methods of communication
– One of the factors determining the span of control is
Methods of Communication which is divided in to two
Oral and Written
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Graicunas theory of Span of Management
• A management expert V. M. Graicunas
contributed much to the span of management
• His theory identified the relationship prevailing
between the superior and subordinate, which
are classified in to three groups
– Direct single relationship
– Direct group relationship
– Cross relationship
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Direct Single Relationship
• In this type of relationship the superior has the
direct relationship with his subordinate
• This relationship is explained with the chart
below
Supervisor
A
B
C
Subordinates
12
Direct Group Relationship
• In this type of relationship the superior has the
direct relationship with his subordinates jointly
• This relationship is explained with the chart
below
Supervisor
A
Consultation
Consultation
Attendance
B
C
Subordinates
13
Cross Relationship
• In this type of relationship a subordinate has
relationship with another subordinates mutually
• This relationship is explained with the chart
belowSupervisor
A
Relationship
B
C
Subordinates
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Formula
• V.A. Graicunas prescribed the following
formula to ascertain the number of superiors’
and subordinates’ relationship
Number of relationships = n(2n/2+n-1)
where ‘n’ is the number of subordinates
Summary
• Span of management means the number of
people managed efficiently by a single officer in
an organization
• The factors affecting the span of management
include character of the supervision work,
leadership qualities etc
End of Chapter 10
Span of Management
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