One Step You Can Take to Set-Up Your Managers for Success

Stop for a moment and consider your organizational structure.
 
How many direct reports do your managers have on average?
 
The optimum number that a single manager should have has long been a topic of discussion.
 
But there is no consensus as to what that perfect number should be.
 
Various academic studies, however, agree that the ideal span of control for any manager should be seven, plus or minus a few.
 
The exact number will differ due to several variables, specific to each organization, including the following:
 
✅ Complexity of the work
✅ Use of technology
✅ Employees’ skills and experience
✅ Manager’s experience managing
 
Nonetheless, in general, a good rule of thumb is a maximum of six-to-eight direct reports for any one manager.
 
Because managers’ responsibilities include assigning work, reviewing deliverables, and tracking performance.
 
𝙄𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤-𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙩.
 
Employees, in turn, want on-going feedback and support, plus mentoring and coaching, in addition to a chance to get to know their managers.
 
So, don’t set your managers, employees and organization up for failure by assigning any one manager too many direct reports.
 
In addition to managing, they have their day-to-day work to do, so don’t make their jobs any more difficult than they have to be.
 
Or you will create a situation Managers themselves won’t be engaged, and when that is the case, there is no way that employees will be either.
 
And disengagement and a bad culture is something you want to avoid at all costs.