What is the right span of control for a manager?
Spans is how broad an individual managers responsibility is defined, be it defined by subordinate ratios, geographic expanse, or process breadth. Layers is is how many levels exist in the organization between an action and a decision. It is best defined by handoffs – how many handoffs are required in the process of making decisions, making improvements, or solving problems.
There is no right answer for the right span or number of layers. Broader or narrower is not always a better span. Fewer or greater layers is not always better. All decisions affect your process and operations, and decisions around spans and layers should be made based on objectives and operational and organizational improvements.
Some factors to consider are:
- The narrower the span of control, the more coaching at the point of activity can be done.
- The broader the span of control, the more the entire process can be encompassed within fewer decision makers and more aligned decisions.
- The fewer layers that exist, the faster information can flow from its source to where a decision is to be made. That information is distorted and filter fewer times as it travels as well, getting decision-makers closer to the truth.
- The more layers that exist, the deeper the knowledge and skill can be developed within levels of management. This can help skill development within the organization.
Many people believe that a lean organization is a flat organization, but many lean organizations have supervisor ratios in the 1:5 range, leading to a not-so-flat structure. There is no right answer for spans and layers, but you must understand what you desire to accomplish before making changes, and you must understand and manage the consequences.
Good thoughts, Jamie. It all comes down to the notion of how we can deliver the value the customers want in the least wasteful way – how we can we align the organization for the fewest handoffs to keep chipping away at the lead time – and there is no lick and stick, benchmarking way to do it. We have to make it fit for our own circumstances.
This reminds me of an instance 10 years ago when I was in manufacturing and a new Plant Manager realigned our plant by product value streams. Our plant reeeeeeaaaaallly started to hum that year after a few bumps in the beginning. Safety, quality, productivity, all improved dramatically. He had the integrity and perseverence to actually shut down a production line that was spewing garbage for product. Now the downside. He did such a good job that he was promoted to corporate and we got a new plant manager who realigned us the old way – by departmental kingdoms – silos – with departments looking out for their own welfare as opposed to the final product going to the customer. My exit strategy began then.
Good thoughts, Jamie. It all comes down to the notion of how we can deliver the value the customers want in the least wasteful way – how we can we align the organization for the fewest handoffs to keep chipping away at the lead time – and there is no lick and stick, benchmarking way to do it. We have to make it fit for our own circumstances.
This reminds me of an instance 10 years ago when I was in manufacturing and a new Plant Manager realigned our plant by product value streams. Our plant reeeeeeaaaaallly started to hum that year after a few bumps in the beginning. Safety, quality, productivity, all improved dramatically. He had the integrity and perseverence to actually shut down a production line that was spewing garbage for product. Now the downside. He did such a good job that he was promoted to corporate and we got a new plant manager who realigned us the old way – by departmental kingdoms – silos – with departments looking out for their own welfare as opposed to the final product going to the customer. My exit strategy began then.
Good thoughts, Jamie. It all comes down to the notion of how we can deliver the value the customers want in the least wasteful way – how we can we align the organization for the fewest handoffs to keep chipping away at the lead time – and there is no lick and stick, benchmarking way to do it. We have to make it fit for our own circumstances.
This reminds me of an instance 10 years ago when I was in manufacturing and a new Plant Manager realigned our plant by product value streams. Our plant reeeeeeaaaaallly started to hum that year after a few bumps in the beginning. Safety, quality, productivity, all improved dramatically. He had the integrity and perseverence to actually shut down a production line that was spewing garbage for product. Now the downside. He did such a good job that he was promoted to corporate and we got a new plant manager who realigned us the old way – by departmental kingdoms – silos – with departments looking out for their own welfare as opposed to the final product going to the customer. My exit strategy began then.