Span of Control
Average number of direct reports per manager, used to assess management structure and capacity
What is Span of Control?
Span of control is the average number of employees each manager is responsible for. It shows how wide or narrow management layers are.
Too narrow a span adds cost and layers, while too wide a span can reduce support and quality of management.
How this KPI is measured
- Function
- Human Resources
- Sub-function
- Workforce Planning
- Industry
- All Industries
- Type
- Lagging
- Impact
- Operational
- Unit
- #
- Measurement frequency
- Annual
- Formula
- Total non-management employees / Total managers
How to calculate it
Divide total non-management employees by total managers.
For example, if 480 employees are managed by 60 managers, the span of control is 8.
The right span depends on the work. Routine, similar tasks allow wider spans, while complex or specialist work needs narrower ones. Look at spans by team.
Where it is used
Designing the organisation
Set sensible team sizes.
Finding overloaded managers
See where support is thin.
Reducing layers
Identify excess management.
How to improve it
Tips and common mistakes
- There is no single correct number.
- Very wide spans can reduce coaching time.
- Consider the seniority and experience of teams.
More Human Resources kpi library
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