What is the number of employees working directly under a manager called?

• A. Span of Control
• B. Level of hierarchy
• C. Organisational Structure
• D. Job rotation

Answer: (A)

Span of control describes how many employees report directly to a manager. This term captures the size of a manager’s immediate team and how much supervision they can reasonably provide. A wider span means more subordinates under one manager, which can lower costs and reduce the number of management layers but may make supervision and communication more challenging. A narrower span creates more layers and closer supervision, but it increases costs and can slow decision-making. The question asks for the term that names the number of employees directly under a manager, which is span of control.

The other options refer to different ideas: level of hierarchy is about how many layers exist in the organization; organizational structure is the overall design of reporting relationships; and job rotation is a practice where employees rotate through different roles.