Span of control

What the publications show

1. Studies in Swedish hospitals and Danish public organisations find that managers with fewer staff are more accessible. At the University of Southern Denmark (446 leaders, 6,322 employees), that accessibility depends mainly on how the work is organised.

   University of Gothenburg, 2026 (opens in a new window) · University of Southern Denmark, 2026 (opens in a new window)

2. For managers themselves, the results are mixed. Among 2,045 Swedish school leaders (Lund University), a span of at most 22 goes together with fewer role conflicts, with no difference in exhaustion. Northwestern University found no significant link with manager burnout.

   Lund University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Northwestern University, 2026 (opens in a new window)

3. Two healthcare studies point to conditions. In Swedish hospitals, a smaller span only paid off with sufficient organisational support, and in a US health system, managers with burnout went together with higher burnout scores among their staff.

   University of Gothenburg, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Northwestern University, 2026 (opens in a new window)

4. Gallup reports that after layers are removed, managers have an average of twelve direct reports and still do operational work themselves. Once more than forty per cent of their time goes on their own work, team engagement falls as the team gets bigger. This rests on a single publication.

   Gallup, 2026 (opens in a new window)

Topics within span of control

This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.

• Manager accessibility2 publications

  • Managing less, leading more? The trickle-down effects of reduced managerial span of control in healthcare · University of Gothenburg, 2026
  • Leader Accessibility as a Precondition for Relational Leadership Approaches to Work: Concept and Antecedents · University of Southern Denmark, 2026
• Manager wellbeing2 publications

  • School principals' span of control and its cross-sectional associations with signs of exhaustion, perceived work ability, and demanding and supportive circum · Lund University, 2026
  • Physician Assistant Burnout: The Role of Leader Well-Being and Span of Control · Northwestern University, 2026
• Optimal team size2 publications

  • Span of Control: What's the Optimal Team Size for Managers? · Gallup, 2026
  • School principals' span of control and its cross-sectional associations with signs of exhaustion, perceived work ability, and demanding and supportive circum · Lund University, 2026
  Briefing: Span of control and how much hands-on work managers still do →

Briefings on this theme

Where several organisations publish roughly the same thing on a topic, we have used AI to compile a briefing. Click a card for the key point, the figures with their sources and what it means for the leadership team.

Briefings on other themes that touch on this one

These briefings belong to another theme but also cover span of control.