3 span-of-control questions HR leaders should ask
Management layers are increasingly on the chopping block as organizations look to reduce costs, flatten structures and demonstrate productivity gains from investments in technology. When business leaders ask for benchmark comparisons—or arrive with a target number of managers already in mind—the challenge for HR is slowing the conversation down long enough to help the business ask the right questions.
The number of employees reporting to a manager is only one part of the picture. It tells leaders very little on its own about whether management capacity is aligned with the work that needs to get done.
HR leaders can help the business make better span-of-control decisions by asking a different set of questions: What management work does the organization actually need, and where should that work sit? The answers to those questions create a foundation for more strategic decisions about management spans and headcount.
See also: 3 considerations for employers to reinvent the workplace
The questions behind the span-of-control question
Most leaders recognize that decisions about management layers have significant implications for business performance. In a global, cross-industry survey of more than 1,200 HR leaders conducted by APQC in the fall, 61% of respondents said that optimizing span of control is very or extremely important to their workforce and organizational design strategy. Yet only around 37% said they can effectively analyze and manage spans across teams or functions. The gap suggests that many organizations understand the stakes involved but struggle to determine what the right management structure should look like.
One reason organizations struggle with span-of-control decisions is that benchmark comparisons can quickly become the focal point of the conversation. HR leaders frequently ask us how many direct reports a manager should have, what their peers are doing or what number represents best practice. Those questions are understandable, and benchmarking can provide useful context. The challenge is to ensure that the conversation with the business doesn’t stop there.
Understand the work behind the span
Our research has consistently found that the appropriate span depends on factors like the complexity of the work, the level of risk involved, the degree of standardization and the support employees need to perform effectively. A manager overseeing highly regulated work may need a very different span than a manager leading a team performing routine, standardized tasks. This is why benchmarking alone rarely produces a helpful answer.
A more useful starting point for HR leaders is understanding which management responsibilities truly require a manager, what business needs those responsibilities help meet and where the work will go if management capacity changes. Understanding the work behind the span creates a clearer basis for deciding where management capacity is needed and where work can be redesigned.
Before you change a span, ask three questions
If management work is the real issue, decisions about span of control should begin there. Before removing management layers or redesigning roles, HR leaders should help the business answer three questions.
Which management responsibilities truly require a manager?
Before reducing management headcount, HR leaders should identify which management responsibilities require ongoing managerial oversight and which could be redesigned without creating new gaps elsewhere.
Not all management activities contribute value in the same way. Some depend heavily on judgment, accountability and relationships. Others depend primarily on following business rules and having access to the right knowledge.
Activities in the first category, like setting priorities during periods of change or coaching employees through performance challenges, require context, judgment and interpersonal skills that are difficult to standardize or automate.
Activities in the second—such as routine approvals or status reporting—can still create value. But in many cases, that value comes from consistency and reliable execution. These activities are often stronger candidates for automation or redistribution.
Understanding the difference helps leaders identify where management capacity remains essential and where work may be redesigned.
What business needs are managers helping to meet?
In some areas, managers may primarily work to develop talent and improve employee performance. In others, they may coordinate work across functions, manage operational risk, maintain quality standards or help resolve competing priorities among stakeholders.
The key question is: What would become more difficult if management oversight in a specific area were reduced? Would employees receive less coaching and development, for example? Would it take longer to balance competing priorities? Would quality, safety or compliance issues become harder to identify and address? The answers will vary across organizations and even across different parts of the same organization.
When you work to understand what business problems management is helping to solve, the conversation shifts from headcount to capability. Instead of asking whether the organization has too many managers, HR leaders can help the business ask whether they have enough management capacity in the areas where uniquely human management contributions matter most. This is a more useful question because it helps leaders weigh the value that management creates alongside its cost.
Where will the work go if management capacity is reduced?
Management work rarely disappears when management positions are eliminated. Instead, the work is redistributed—sometimes intentionally and sometimes by default.
For example, teams may take on greater collective responsibility for coordination and problem solving. Senior leaders may spend more time coaching, resolving conflicts and aligning priorities. Technology can increasingly absorb administrative work that previously required management oversight.
The challenge is ensuring that management work is reassigned deliberately when management capacity changes. Some responsibilities may move to employees, technology or other roles, while others may continue to require managerial oversight. Leaving those decisions to chance can create delays, coordination challenges and gaps in employee support.
Before widening spans or reducing management headcount, HR leaders should be able to identify where the work will go and who will be accountable for it. If the answer is unclear, the organization may be making a staffing decision without fully redesigning the work.
Design management work before you design management structures
As organizations continue to rethink management structures, reporting relationships and the role of technology in getting work done, HR will face pressure to widen spans and reduce management layers. Rather than beginning with a target span or management headcount goal, HR leaders can use the three questions above to structure conversations about how management work will be performed, supported and owned going forward. Organizations that understand how management work creates value and where it should sit are better positioned to make span-of-control decisions that support long-term performance.
Data in this content was accurate at the time of publication. For the most current data, visit www.apqc.org.
