Burnley and Co., a graphic design firm, has offices in New York, Texas, California, New Mexico, and New Jersey. Each of these offices is headed by a president who reports directly to Emma Burnley, the CEO. The heads of the centralized HR, Finance, and Marketing teams report to Emma Burnley as well. Managers in the various offices also report to the CEO directly. Based on this information, which of the following statements is most likely to be true?
A) Emma Burnley has a wide span of control.
B) Burnley and Co. has a tall hierarchical structure.
C) Emma Burnley is underworked.
D) Burnley and Co. is a mechanistic organization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Based on this information, the statement that is most likely to be true is that Emma Burnley has a wide span of control. Hierarchy determines the formal, position-based reporting lines and thus stipulates who reports to whom. The number of levels of hierarchy, in turn, determines the managers' span of control-how many employees directly report to a manager. In tall organizational structures, the span of control is narrow. In flat structures, the span of control is wide, meaning one manager supervises many employees.