Spans and Layers

The aim of the Spans and Layers Tool is to fully align the organization structure to strategy, and to mitigate in lower levels the drawbacks of upper levels.

A lower span of control ratio is appropriate when work is unpredictable, lots of work coordination is required, workers have a low skill level, there is limited self-management experience, the work is competitive or competitive-enabling, capacity to do the work is low, the manager is a working manager (individual contributor), the work is high-complexity and high-risk, goals and measures differ across the team, and the team spans multiple locations or geographies.

A higher span of control ratio is appropriate when the opposite holds: work is highly predictable, minimal coordination is required, workers are highly skilled with significant self-management experience, the work is necessary or compliance work, capacity is high, the manager is a coaching manager (management only), the work is low-complexity and low-risk, goals and measures are similar, and the team sits in a single location or geography.