Organisational structure: hierarchical and flat structures, the chain of command, span of control, levels of hierarchy, delegation, and the effects of structure on communication and motivation.

A 2-mark AO1 question. The span of control is the number of subordinates (employees) that one manager is directly responsible for. One mark for the idea of the number of people a manager directly controls, the second for a consequence, such as a wide span meaning a manager oversees many staff (harder to control closely) while a narrow span means fewer staff (closer supervision). A common error is to confuse it with the chain of command, which is the line of authority from top to bottom of the organisation, not the number reporting to one manager.

A 6-mark Analyse needing developed chains applied to the business. Effect one (faster communication and more motivated staff): a flatter structure removes layers of management, so messages pass between the top and the front line more quickly and with less distortion, and employees are often given more responsibility (delegation), which can motivate them and speed up decisions. Effect two (wider spans and possible loss of control): with fewer managers, each remaining manager has a wider span of control, so they oversee more staff and may struggle to supervise and support everyone closely, and removing management layers can mean redundancies and fewer promotion opportunities, which may unsettle staff. The chain to credit links the change in structure to its effects on communication, motivation and control. Markers reward two developed effects applied to the business, not a generic comparison of flat and tall structures.