Matthew is a new divisional manager. In reorganizing his division, he must make some decisions regarding the span of control for management within his division.
-In observing the departments in his division, Matthew notices that some managers with wide spans of control seem to perform more effectively than other managers with similarly-sized spans of control. Which of the following statements is most likely true regarding the high-performing managers?
A) These managers are paid higher salaries than the low-performing managers.
B) These managers discourage employee autonomy, which produces more uniform departmental results.
C) The employees within their departments tend to compete to reach productivity goals, which boosts performance.
D) The employees within their departments have poor communication with each other.
E) The employees within their departments are highly skilled and very knowledgeable about their jobs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement that high-performing managers have wider spans of control than other similarly-sized spans of control indicates that these managers are able to effectively manage a larger number of employees. The most likely reason for their success is that the employees within their departments are highly skilled and knowledgeable about their jobs, which allows them to work autonomously and produce high-quality work without requiring extensive supervision. Therefore, option E is the most likely choice. It is not indicated in the scenario that these managers are paid higher salaries (option A), discourage employee autonomy (option B), or that their employees tend to compete with each other (option C). Additionally, it is not indicated that the employees within their departments have poor communication with each other (option D).

Matthew Is a New Divisional Manager