What is the motivation for limiting the span of control of a manager to a specified number of subordinates or manufacturing processes? What problems might this cause in coordinating the plant?

Span of control refers to the number of subordinates or manufacturing processes that a manager is responsible for overseeing. In an organizational context, it determines how many subordinates a manager can effectively and efficiently manage. This concept is crucial in organizational management as it helps determine the optimal structure of the organization by ensuring that managers are not overwhelmed with responsibilities, allowing them to better communicate, guide, and delegate tasks to their subordinates.

There are several motivations for limiting the span of control of a manager: 1. Improved communication: By limiting the number of subordinates, a manager can maintain more effective communication channels with each team member. This ensures that everyone is kept informed, and misunderstandings are minimized. 2. Enhanced managerial effectiveness: The manager can devote more attention to each subordinate or process, allowing for better guidance, performance management, and feedback. 3. Faster decision-making: With fewer subordinates or processes to oversee, the manager can make quicker decisions, reducing potential delays in the workflow. 4. Reduced workload: Limiting the span of control helps to prevent managers from becoming overwhelmed, allowing them to focus on their most important responsibilities and avoid burnout.

While there are clear benefits to limiting the span of control, this may lead to some potential problems in plant coordination: 1. Increased bureaucracy: Limiting span of control may require additional layers of management, leading to increased bureaucracy and potential inefficiencies in communication and decision-making. 2. Reduced flexibility: Smaller spans of control can make it more difficult to adapt to changes in the business environment, as each manager will have a more specialized area of focus, potentially reducing the organization's ability to shift resources as needed. 3. Increased costs: More managers may lead to higher personnel expenses and administrative costs. 4. Potential for micro-management: Limiting the number of subordinates a manager oversees might encourage them to exert more control and oversight, resulting in micromanagement that could stifle employee autonomy and creativity. In conclusion, limiting the span of control of a manager plays an essential role in ensuring effective communication, decision-making, and managerial effectiveness. However, it is important to strike the right balance to avoid potential problems such as increased bureaucracy, reduced flexibility, and increased costs.