When discussing organizational structure, the terms narrow and wide are used to describe

The main difference between chain of command and span of control is that chain of command indicates how each member of a company or organization reports to one another, whereas span of control indicates how many subordinates each manager or supervisor is responsible for in an organization.

Every successful company has an excellent organizational structure behind it. An organizational structure is a structure designed to match a company’s goals and describe how job tasks are formally divided, grouped, and coordinated. Furthermore, organizational structures have six components: chain of command, the span of control, specialization, departmentalization, centralization/decentralization, and formalization.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Chain of Command  
      – Definition, Features
2. What is Span of Control
     – Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Chain of Command and Span of Control
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Chain of Command, Span of Control

A chain of command refers to an organizational structure that indicates how each member of a company or organization reports to one another. In other words, it documents the hierarchy of reporting relationships in a company – who must answer to whom. A chain of command establishes accountability, company’s lines of authority, and decision-making power.

Most organizations, including companies, nonprofit organizations, and the military, use a chain of command. A good chain of command can make sure that every task and job position has one person taking care of the responsibility for performance. It also eliminates the need for an employee to report to several bosses. Therefore, when the employee faces an issue, he or she can directly report to the appropriate manager. If the manager is also unable to solve the issue, he can take the issue to the next level in the chain of command. Moreover, under a chain of command, assigning tasks for employees, communicating job requirements and deadlines, and providing motivation happen on a one-to-many basis. In addition, a chain of command can simplify operations and communications within a business and make that business more efficient and productive.

What is a Span of Control

The span of control defines how many subordinates each manager or supervisor is responsible for in an organization. In other words, it indicates the number of employees each manager can effectively manage. However, there is no single form of span of control that is ideal for all types of companies. In a narrow span of control, each manager supervises a small number of employees, whereas, in a wide span of control, each manager supervises a greater number of employees. In a narrow span of control, it is necessary to have more managers and more layers of management to supervise the same number of employees than would be necessary for an organization with a wider span of control.

Moreover, the span of control ideal for a company would depend on a number of factors – the size of a workforce, the goals and strategies of the company, division of departments in the company, etc.

Difference Between Chain of Command and Span of Control

Definition

Chain of command refers to an organizational structure that indicates how each member of a company or organization reports to one another, whereas span of control defines how many subordinates each manager or supervisor is responsible for in an organization.

Nature

While the chain of command indicates the reporting order in an organization, the span of control indicates the number of employees each manager can effectively manage.

Conclusion

In brief, chain of command and span of control are two components of organizational structures. The main difference between chain of command and span of control is that the chain of command indicates how each member of a company or organization reports to one another, whereas the span of control indicates how many subordinates each manager or supervisor is responsible for in an organization.

1. Johnson, Sophie. “Chain of Command in Organizational Structure.” Small Business – Chron , Chron.com, 8 Mar. 2019.
2. Sisk, Annie. “Elements of Organizational Structure.” Bizfluent, 16 Apr. 2020.

1. “ChainofCommand-NationalSecurityArchive” By The National Security Archive – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Organizational structure” By Adiba Taj, IN (CC0) via TheNounProject