One of the most important and often overlooked aspects of effective leadership is determining the right number of direct reports for a manager. Whether you lead a small team, oversee an entire division, or run the whole company, the number of people who report directly to you can dramatically impact productivity, communication, decision-making, and employee engagement.
But how many is too many? How few is too few? And is there a universal “magic number” that works for all organizations?
Today, let’s explore:
- Why the number of direct reports matters
- Factors that influence the ideal span of control
- Common benchmarks and research findings
- The risks of having too many or too few direct reports
- Practical steps to determine the right number for your business
Why the Number of Direct Reports Matters
The term “direct reports” refers to the employees who answer directly to a manager—without layers of supervision in between. The number of these employees a leader oversees is often referred to as the span of control.
This span is more than just an org chart statistic. It shapes how leaders manage their time, focus their efforts, and ultimately drive results.
When a leader has too many direct reports, the risks include:
- Overload: The leader spends more time putting out fires than developing strategy or coaching staff.
- Reduced availability: Employees may struggle to get timely feedback or decisions.
- Surface-level management: Leaders may know “what” is happening, but not “why” — leading to oversight gaps.
When a leader has too few direct reports, the risks include:
- Micromanagement: The leader may become overly involved in small details that could be delegated.
- Underutilization: Highly capable leaders may spend too much time managing too small a scope.
- Bureaucracy creep: Too many layers of management can slow decision-making and communication.
The ideal span of control ensures that leaders can provide adequate guidance, maintain visibility into their team’s work, and still focus on high-value strategic tasks.
Factors That Influence the Ideal Number
While it might be tempting to look for a single recommended number of direct reports, the reality is more nuanced. The optimal number depends on several factors:
- Nature of the Work: Highly complex, variable, or creative work typically requires more supervision, coaching, and feedback--leading to a smaller ideal span. Routine, repetitive, or standardized work can often be managed with a wider span.
- Example: A call center team may function well with one supervisor for 12–15 agents.
- Example: A product design team might need a 1-to-5 ratio to allow for close collaboration and guidance.
- Employee Skill Level and Experience: Highly skilled, experienced, and self-directed employees require less day-to-day oversight. This allows managers to comfortably take on more direct reports without sacrificing quality.
- Example: A team of senior consultants might operate effectively under one manager overseeing 10–12 people.
- Example: A new sales team composed mostly of recent hires may need a ratio closer to 1-to-5.
- Leader’s Experience and Management Style: Some leaders thrive with a large team because they delegate effectively and empower their employees. Others prefer smaller teams so they can be more hands-on. Management style plays a big role in what works best.
- Organizational Structure: Flat organizations tend to have wider spans of control, while hierarchical organizations often have narrower spans to allow for more oversight at each level.
- Geographic Distribution: When direct reports are spread across multiple locations or work remotely, the time required to manage them increases. Leaders in these situations may benefit from a smaller span to maintain strong connections.
Common Benchmarks and Research Findings
While the “right” number varies, research and best practices offer some helpful guidelines.
- Classic rule of thumb: Management thinker Lyndall Urwick suggested in the 1950s that the ideal span was no more than 5–6 direct reports for optimal control and communication.
- Military perspective: The U.S. Army historically targeted a span of 3–7 direct reports for officers, emphasizing the need for clear communication in high-stakes environments.
- Modern corporate range: Many business management experts today suggest anywhere from 5 to 9 direct reports as a general guideline, with some leaders successfully managing up to 12–15 in certain contexts.
A Harvard Business Review study found that leaders with 7–9 direct reports often strike the best balance between being accessible to their team and having enough bandwidth for strategic responsibilities.
Risks of Too Many Direct Reports
When the span of control is too wide, problems compound quickly.
- Limited Time for Each Employee: If you have 15 direct reports and meet with each for just 30 minutes a week, that’s over 7 hours of one-on-one time — before you handle any other responsibilities. The result? Leaders either reduce time per person or meet less frequently, leading to weaker connections.
- Bottlenecked Decisions: With too many people coming to the same leader for approvals, sign offs, and answers, work slows down and employee frustration increases.
- Manager Burnout: Trying to balance strategic leadership with constant employee management demands can overwhelm even the most capable leader.
- Inconsistent Coaching and Development: Managers simply don’t have the time to provide meaningful, individualized feedback to every team member, which can hurt employee growth and retention.
Risks of Too Few Direct Reports
Having a narrow span of control can also create problems.
- Over-Management: Leaders may hover over their small team, unintentionally creating a micromanagement culture.
- Inefficiency: With too many managers relative to team size, organizations can become top-heavy, increasing costs without necessarily improving performance.
- Slower Career Progression: Extra layers of management can limit visibility and advancement opportunities for high-potential employees.
How to Determine the Right Number for Your Team
Finding the sweet spot for direct reports is both an art and a science. Here are some practical steps to guide your decision:
- Assess the Complexity of the Work: Map out the key responsibilities of your team. If the work is highly technical, variable, or dependent on close collaboration, aim for a smaller span.
- Evaluate Team Member Capabilities: Consider the skill level, independence, and decision-making ability of your employees. More experienced teams can handle wider spans.
- Analyze Time Demands: Track how much time you currently spend on one-on-ones, feedback, approvals, and problem-solving. If you’re already stretched thin, reducing your span may be necessary.
- Consider Organizational Goals: If you’re in a high-growth phase, you may need to adjust spans to support rapid onboarding and scaling.
- Pilot and Adjust: There’s no need to guess. Experiment with slightly wider or narrower spans and monitor the impact on performance, communication, and engagement.
Best Practices for Managing Any Number of Direct Reports
Regardless of whether you have 4 or 14 direct reports, certain leadership practices can help you manage effectively:
- Prioritize regular one-on-one meetings to maintain strong relationships and open communication.
- Delegate authority, not just tasks — empower employees to make decisions within their roles.
- Leverage technology for communication, project tracking, and performance management.
- Develop leaders within your team so they can take on supervisory responsibilities as the organization grows.
The Bottom Line
There’s no single “perfect” number of direct reports for every leader in every organization. Instead, the right number depends on your industry, team makeup, leadership style, and organizational goals.
However, for most leaders, a span of 5–9 direct reports strikes the best balance between oversight and autonomy, enabling managers to remain connected to their team while still driving strategic priorities.
If you find yourself overwhelmed or too distant from your team’s day-to-day realities, your span of control may be too wide. If you’re bogged down in minutiae or your leadership is underutilized, it may be too narrow.
The key is to regularly assess and adjust — because as your team, business, and goals evolve, so should your approach to leadership.
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And remember, if you’re wondering whether your management team has the right number of direct reports — or if you need help with anything else related to building a stronger, more effective team — BR1 is here to help. We work with businesses every day to strengthen leadership, improve team performance, and create environments where people thrive.
Until next time, keep building your stronger team!
