A broader span of control is associated with which of the following?

• A. Fewer direct reports
• B. More direct reports
• C. More levels of management
• D. Longer decision chains

Answer: (B)

Span of control is the number of direct reports a manager oversees. A broader span means more people report directly to the manager, so the best answer is that there are more direct reports. When a manager oversees many subordinates, the organization tends to be flatter, with fewer intermediate levels of management, which can speed up decision-making because messages pass through fewer layers. This setup works best when tasks are well-defined, teams are capable of self-management, and communication channels are strong. If the span is too broad, supervision can become challenging unless processes and expectations are very clear. The other descriptions describe narrower spans or longer decision chains, which align with more levels of management rather than a broader span.