Theos-Talk Archives (December 2003 Message tt00165)

I recall from management classes I took many years ago that the optimal
number of subordinates to a manager was seven. One reference to this at

http://www.listproc.bucknell.edu/archives/obts-l/200311/msg00055.html

says (emphasis added):

"The span of management is the number of employees reporting to a
supervisor. Sometimes called the span of control, this characteristic of
structure determines how closely a supervisor can monitor subordinates.
TRADITIONAL VIEWS OF ORGANIZATION DESIGN RECOMMENDED A SPAN OF MANAGEMENT OF
ABOUT SEVEN SUBORDINATES PER MANAGER. However, many lean organizations today
have spans of management as high as 30, 40, and even higher."

This would be the optimal size of a workplace "hierarchy." 

-- Eldon