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Management & Leadership vocabulary · Organisational Structure

Span of control

Meaning in management & leadership, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In management & leadership, span of control means: The number of people who report directly to one manager. A wide span means many direct reports; a narrow span means only a few.

In Turkish: kontrol alanı, yönetim alanı, denetim alanı

How it is used

A classic term in organisational design, used when companies plan structures or remove layers. Wider spans usually mean flatter organisations; narrower spans usually mean more levels of management.

Example sentences

  1. With a span of control of fifteen people, she has little time for one-on-ones.

  2. The consultants recommended widening the span of control for store managers.

Common collocations

  • wide span of control
  • narrow span of control
  • increase the span of control
  • optimal span of control
  • direct reportAn employee whose immediate manager is a particular person, with no other manager in between; the people a manager is directly responsible for.
  • hierarchyA system in which the people in an organisation are arranged in levels, with each level having more authority than the one below it.
  • org chartA diagram that shows how an organisation is structured, with boxes for roles or people and lines showing who reports to whom.
  • middle managementThe managers between senior leadership and front-line staff, such as department heads and regional managers, who turn strategy into daily plans and lead teams.

More terms: Organisational Structure

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