Span of management refers to which of the following?

Span of management refers to which of the following?

• A. The range of tasks a manager oversees.
• B. The number of employees who report directly to one manager.
• C. The amount of budget a manager controls.
• D. The length of the management chain.

Answer: (B)

Span of management describes how many employees report directly to a single manager. This is the direct supervisory load a manager handles, often called span of control. It matters because it influences supervision quality, communication efficiency, and how quickly decisions can be made. A wider span reduces the number of management layers, which can speed up decisions but increase the manager’s direct oversight burden. A narrower span adds more layers, allowing closer supervision and greater control, but potentially slowing communication and decision-making due to more handoffs. The other concepts refer to different aspects: the range of tasks a manager oversees is the scope of responsibilities, the amount of budget controlled is financial authority, and the length of the management chain is the organization's vertical depth.

Span of management describes how many employees report directly to a single manager. This is the direct supervisory load a manager handles, often called span of control. It matters because it influences supervision quality, communication efficiency, and how quickly decisions can be made. A wider span reduces the number of management layers, which can speed up decisions but increase the manager’s direct oversight burden. A narrower span adds more layers, allowing closer supervision and greater control, but potentially slowing communication and decision-making due to more handoffs. The other concepts refer to different aspects: the range of tasks a manager oversees is the scope of responsibilities, the amount of budget controlled is financial authority, and the length of the management chain is the organization's vertical depth.