Effective Span of Command and Control by Echelon in Training and Operational Environments
Abstract
In response to reduced resources in the face of more diverse missions, Army leadership is considering new options for the design of its organizations. One option is to create 'flatter' organizations. A consequence of this option is an increase in the span of command and control, and a concern with its impact on the effectiveness of command and control. This report summarizes research conducted to develop a database of information pertaining to seven factors proposed to influence the span of effective command and control, and guidelines for designing and training units that maintain effective spans of command and control. Fifty-five Army officers at various echelons and from different types of units participated in interviews. The resulting database is a set of comments and ratings about the relation between each of the seven factors and the difficulty (or ease) of command and control. The research confirmed the usefulness of the seven factors for discussing issues impacting span of effective command and control. The data were consolidated into observations that pertain to organizing and training military units. This report: (a) presents the results of this research, (b) recommends modifications to the data collection procedures, and (c) proposes further applications of the approach.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA355164
Entities
People
- J. P. Ford
- Richard E. Christ
- William J. Mullen Iii
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences