Spans of control that are too broad or too narrow can have serious effects on organization performance. Optimal spans don’t just happen. Unless organizations actively manage spans of control, they are likely to find more that are either too broad or too narrow and fewer that are just right. Yet most organizations do not pay much attention to spans of control.

The article describes the benefits of optimal spans of control and the consequences of overly broad and overly narrow spans. It provides ten factors to consider in determining optimal spans and examples of optimal spans for different levels and types of work.