A manufacturing firm has 240 workers. The manager wishes to adopt a span of control of 8. How many first‑level supervisors are required, and how many total hierarchical levels (including top management) will the organization have if the top management consists of a single CEO and each supervisor reports directly to the CEO?
Answer
30 supervisors are needed and the hierarchy will have three levels.
The correct answer is 30 supervisors are needed and the hierarchy will have three levels. — Count the levels: 1 (CEO) + 1 (supervisors) + 1 (workers) = 3 levels.
Step-by-step solution
- Calculate supervisors needed: divide total workers by the desired span of control (240 ÷ 8).
- Result = 30 supervisors.
- Identify the hierarchy: top level = CEO, second level = supervisors, third level = workers.
- Count the levels: 1 (CEO) + 1 (supervisors) + 1 (workers) = 3 levels.
Common mistake: Forgetting to round up when workers are not exactly divisible by the span
Concept tested: Calculating span of control
Published · How this solution was prepared and checked
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