4. Span of control :
Span of control means the number of subordinates that can be managed efficiently and effectively by a supervisor in an organization. Tt suggests how the relations are designed between a supervisor and a subordinate in an organization. Span of control is of two types :
Narrow span of control : Wide span of control means a single manager or supervisor oversees few subordinates. This gives rise to a tall organizational structure.
Wide span of control : Wide span of control means a single manager or supervisor oversees a large number of subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure. Upper managers can hire fewer middle managers to do more work managing more subordinates for less money.
There is an inverse relation between the span of control and the number of levels in hierarchy in an organization, i.e., narrower the number is the number of levels in an organization. Narrow span of control is more expensive as compared to wide span of control as there is more number of managers as compared to wide span of control as there is more number of problems between various levels of management. Wide span of control is best suited when the employees are not widely scattered geographically, as it is easy for managers to be in touch with the subordinates and to supervise them. In case of narrow span of control, there are comparatively more opportunities for growth as the number of control, there are comparatively more efficient and organized the superiors are in performing their tasks, the better it is to have wide span of management. The less motivated and confident that employees are, the better it is to have a narrow span of management so that the supervisors can spend time with them and supervise them well. The mote standardized is the nature work , if same task can be performed using same types of inputs, the better it is to have a wide span of management as more number of employees can be supervised by a single manager or supervisor. There is more flexibility, prompt decision making, effective communication between higher level and lower level management, and improved customer interaction in case of wide span of management.