Span of Management or
Control
·
The term span of management is also known as
Span of control.
·
It represents a numerical limit of subordinates
to be supervised and controlled by a manager.
Graicunas Theory
Graicunas showed mathematically that a number of direct,
group and cross relationships exist between a manager and his subordinates. The
number of these relationships increases with the increase in the number of the
subordinates.
No. of direct
relationships=n
No. of cross relationships
= n(n-1)
No. of group
relationships= n[2^(n-1) -1]
Total number of relationships =n [2^n/2+(n-1)]
Total number of relationships =n [2^n/2+(n-1)]
Impact
of Span:
·
Flat and wide span
·
Tall and Narrow span
Narrow
span
Disadvantages:
·
Complication in Communication because of
additional layers.
·
Problem of coordination
Benefits:
·
Personal contact between supervisor and subordinates
·
Tight control and close supervision.
·
Sufficient time to create relationship with
subordinates.
Wide
Span:
Benefits:
·
Less number of supervisors.
·
Less expensive
·
Better communication
Disadvantages:
·
Performance deterioration
·
No sufficient time.
Factors determining
span of supervision:
·
Ability of managers
·
Time available for supervision
·
Nature of work
·
Capacity of subordinates
·
Degree of decentralisation
·
Effectiveness of communication
·
Control mechanism
