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 6 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 7 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. 9 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 10 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 11 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 14 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 17
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