Too Many Chiefs…
May 2, 2025
Too Many Bosses, Not Enough Leaders: The Hidden Risk of a Broken Span of Control
In today’s fast-moving business world, speed matters. Clarity matters. Accountability matters.
So why do so many organizations bury their people under layers of supervision, approval bottlenecks, and managerial redundancy?
When the span of control (SOC) is too narrow—meaning too many managers oversee too few people—the organization becomes bloated, bureaucratic, and brittle. Decisions slow. Costs rise. Innovation stalls.
It’s not just inefficient. It’s a strategic risk.
What Is the Span of Control Problem?
Span of Control refers to the number of direct reports a manager oversees. Too wide a span, and managers are stretched thin. But too narrow, and the organization becomes over-layered with managers managing other managers—leading to:
- Slower decision-making
- Duplication of effort
- Disempowered employees
- A culture of dependency
- Excessive overhead
In short, organizations end up with too many chiefs…
15 Failures in Manufacturing from Excess Span of Control
- Every process change requires 4 signatures, delaying line improvements by weeks.
- Production leads wait for “approval to proceed” from supervisors who aren’t on site.
- Multiple layers review KPIs, but no one owns the actual output.
- Duplicate reporting requirements, wasting time while chasing redundant data.
- Overlapping supervisory roles, causing turf wars over responsibilities.
- Frontline suggestions die in middle management, never reaching decision-makers.
- Maintenance needs sit in queue awaiting multiple levels of budgetary sign-off.
- Supervisors spend more time in meetings than on the floor, missing early issues.
- Shop floor staff feel micromanaged, lowering morale and increasing turnover.
- Process audits conflict, because different managers use different standards.
- Automation initiatives stall, as IT, ops, safety, and quality each must approve.
- New production methods rejected, not based on merit but chain-of-command politics.
- Equipment downtime extends, because no one has authority to expedite vendors.
- Performance feedback is slow or filtered, leaving workers unclear on expectations.
- Line workers must “ask up the chain” to fix simple problems, slowing throughput.
In lean environments, this isn’t just frustrating—it’s expensive. Every minute counts, and layered organizations often hemorrhage time.
15 Failures in Service Companies from Excess Span of Control
- Customer complaints escalate through 5 layers, with no one empowered to resolve.
- Client account managers need VP approval to offer discounts, missing the moment.
- Employee ideas stall at department heads, never reaching action.
- Too many meetings about meetings, with no one accountable for outcomes.
- Mid-level managers overstep, creating confusion in cross-functional teams.
- Clients get different answers, depending on which level they reach.
- Approvals for marketing, hiring, and pricing bottleneck at the executive suite.
- Micromanagement becomes the norm, strangling innovation and confidence.
- Talent leaves due to lack of autonomy, while underperformers hide behind process.
- Conflict avoidance is baked in, as no one wants to “step on a director’s toes.”
- Sales teams can’t close deals quickly, losing to faster, flatter competitors.
- Onboarding is slow, requiring too many signoffs for simple tools and systems.
- Customer service reps can’t solve issues, deferring to managers for minor tasks.
- Culture of “just follow the chain” replaces ownership with passivity.
- High performers stall in their careers, overshadowed by political maneuvering.
In services, where human interaction and agility are core to value delivery, too many layers suffocate initiative and responsiveness.
The Cultural Toll of Excess Supervision
When employees must constantly “ask permission” or have their work filtered and second-guessed, the result is a culture of hesitation, fear, and disengagement.
People stop thinking. They stop trying. They just wait for orders.
The best talent leaves. What’s left is a compliance culture—safe, slow, and stagnant.
Why Flatter, Nimbler Companies Win
Your flatter competitors are not held back by 6 layers of “leadership” to approve a decision. They:
- Make customer-facing decisions at the edge
- Encourage autonomy with clear accountability
- Empower managers to manage, not just escalate
- Build trust by decentralizing authority
And as a result, they can:
- Launch faster
- Adapt sooner
- Respond better
- Win more customers
While your company is still in a meeting to schedule a meeting, they’ve already solved the issue and posted about it on LinkedIn.
Fixing the Span of Control Problem
1. Flatten unnecessary layers. If two layers manage the same people, one is redundant.
2. Broaden the span wisely. Aim for an effective span of 7–10 direct reports, depending on the function.
3. Push decision-making downward. Frontline teams closest to the work should have authority within clear guidelines.
4. Measure managers on empowerment, not just oversight. Do their people grow and execute—or stagnate and wait?
5. Reward clarity and execution over consensus and compliance.
Final Thought
Organizations don’t just fail from bad strategy—they fail from inflexibility.
A bloated org chart may look impressive, but it often hides deeper dysfunction. If you want to move fast, scale smart, and empower your best people, it’s time to stop adding layers and start building trust.
Because the real test of leadership isn’t how many report to you—it’s how many you can empower to act.
Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP, is the CEO & Managing Partner of QORVAL Partners, LLC, a FL-based advisory firm (founded 1996 by Jim Malone, (1942-2021) six-time Fortune 100/500 CEO) Qorval is a US-based growth and exit advisory, turnaround, restructuring, business optimization and interim management firm. Fioravanti is a proven advisor and CEO with experience in more than 90 situations in more than 40 industries. He earned his MBA and MPA from The University of Rhode Island and completed advanced post-master’s research in finance and marketing at Bryant University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional and member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Private Directors Association, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&MA), the American Bankruptcy Institute, and IMCUSA. Copyright 2025, Qorval Partners LLC and/or Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.
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