Span of Conrol
How many people can you manage effectively? Although some textbooks will say you can effectively manage 5-7 employees, reputable ones will then qualify this with lengthy discussions on why this does not even qualify as a guideline. Last week I had a client initiate a discussion about whether or not to create and staff a new director position; during the conversation, he told me he was not certain he needed the position as other than his own assistant, a receptionist, and the accounting and human resources managers, he only had four other direct reports, and they were all strong managers. For those counting, this adds to eight which is on the outside of the theoretical formula. The reality is, one person can effectively manage many people if they are all the same profession, performing similar tasks, have similar competencies, and are working in the same location; but what about situations where each is a different profession with different roles, and at different work locations? For