Span of control and its impact on a sport organization's design.

• A. The total number of departments in an organization.
• B. The level of employee empowerment across the organization.
• C. The geographic reach of the team's operations.
• D. The number of direct reports a manager has; a wide span reduces overhead and fosters a flatter structure, while a narrow span increases supervision and can create a taller hierarchy.

Answer: (D)

Span of control refers to how many direct reports a manager oversees. This design choice directly shapes the hierarchy of an organization: a wide span means one manager oversees many staff, leading to a flatter structure with fewer layers; a narrow span means fewer direct reports, resulting in more layers and a taller hierarchy.

That statement is the best because it explicitly links the number of direct reports to the organization’s design. It also shows the trade-offs: a wide span reduces overhead and the number of levels, which can speed decision-making and cut administrative costs; a narrow span increases supervision, adds layers, and can create a taller, more hierarchical structure that may slow communication but provide tighter control.

In a sport organization, imagine a manager overseeing several event coordinators or facility staff. A wide span can empower teams and streamline responses during events, but it risks overloading the manager and diluting supervision. A narrow span allows closer oversight and more detailed direction, at the cost of higher administrative overhead and potentially slower adaptation.

The other options describe different organizational characteristics—like the total number of departments, how empowered employees feel, or how broadly the organization operates geographically—that don’t define how many direct reports a manager has and thus don’t capture how span of control drives design.