The tipping point of span of control
"Your span of control is determined by the things you can, and should, control at any given time. Everything else is just a distraction." Cary Lohrenz
I'll get right to it. It is between 5 and 7 people. Any more than 7 the scale begins to tip and the quality of leadership begins to diminish. I would say 5 is an optimal span of control for a leader. Span of control, span of management, or direct reports represent the people a leader is directly responsible for. There can be no sharing of leadership (more on that in a future blog) where one person reports directly (and equally) to two people. Don't let that happen in your organization. It will cause problems, mostly for the individual. When people look up they ought to see one person who is the one who cares for them, grows them and leads them. It's why span of control is so important.
Those in your span of control are those who you ought to know very well. Your schedule ought to include time dedicated to their appraisal and growth. I lead and manage my time under a philosophy of, "do only those things that only I can do." I could not hand off my leadership duty to those people in my span of control and, moreover, the more people I have, the less I'm able to truly invest in them. I begin to do too much and it impacts my ability to think and make sound decisions.
I use 5 for a few reasons. 5 is manageable under a demanding schedule and who does not have a demanding schedule these days? You can direct and steer 5 people far better than 10. Your brain can only take on so much and wouldn't it be better to have 5 instead of 10 people occupying your mind and demanding your attention? An infantry squad in the Army is 9 people. Even under that structure, a squad leader has two team leaders to help him or her lead. The squad leader maintains control over the whole squad but his or her team leaders are able to echo his or her commands and steer the small organization, even on a dime if needed.
I had nearly 5,000 men and women in my Army brigade but my span of control was 7 people. This was challenging under my priority of investing in people but manageable. These 7 people each led 400-700 men and women. To steer the organization and insure my intent was broadcasted to its members, I relied upon them. I invested in each of them. We communicated well and I knew them so well that I could tailor my leadership to their needs. Among other meetings, we had lunch together each week. There we could bond as a team and I could issue my guidance and intent and interact with each of them effectively. I would have formal and informal 1 on 1 meetings with each of them regularly.
Here are a few questions to ask and answer to see if you have tipped the scale of span of control.
Is it nearly impossible for you to invest equally in each of them (coaching, caring, leading)?
Do you feel stretched too thin?
Would it be possible to shrink your span of control by creating a hierarchy? i.e. instead of 10 direct reports, could 5 of those people be placed under another leader.
It is easy to add people to your span of control but often it is done agnostic of the impacts to leadership. Have a look at your org chart. Is the scale about to tip?
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell