The team’s level of influence, as determined by the structure of the team and the broader system in which the team is embedded, also reflects the extent to which team members need resources. We typically have substantial control (internal locus of control) with regard to two of the four elements (Control and Influence) but have very little direct control (external locus of control) with regard to the other two elements (Accountability and Support).
Span Analysis
We expand on Simons (2005) analysis by introducing comparable spans within an organization that help to make the work of an individual employee more productive. As in the case of teams, we propose that four factors must be aligned for us to be successful in our job. Once again, two of these factors (Control and Support) relate to the supplies (resources) needed for us to be able to effectively engage in the work we are expected to engage—whether production or service. We introduce several related terms (Authority and Patronage) when exploring several versions of control, as well as several terms (triangulation, investment and encouragement) when considering span of support.
Two of the other factors (Accountability and Influence) relate to the demands being made from outside our job. Once again, we introduce several other terms when considering accountability (expectations and hope), and influence (motivation, enablement, assistance and encouragement). These additional terms are brought in to help us explore both formal and informal versions of each span.
Span of Control: [Internal Locus of Control] [Supply Element]: This first span defines the range of resources—not only people as resources but also assets and infrastructure—for which an employee or team is given decision rights. The team is held accountable for performance resulting from deployment of these resources. To narrow the Span a leader reduces the resources allocated to specific positions or units, while to widen the Span, the leader allocates more people, assets, and infrastructure.
We once again move beyond what Simons has provided by identifying both formal and informal versions of each span element as they operate in both teams and individual jobs. At a fundamental level, control resides in the Authority that is invested in a team or job. This is the amount of Formal Authority held by a team or in a job. This span concerns the resources which an individual employee or team “owns” or has been officially assigned to and provided for this project.
A team or individual employee is more likely to be successful if it gains access to substantial resources in the organization–though with more substantial resources come increased expectations (a dimension of one of the other spans). There is also Informal Authority that influences span of control. This occurs when attention is given to the Patronage which operates in organizations. In this case, resources to which employees and teams have access are officially “owned” by or assigned to others in the organization.
Span of Accountability: [External Locus of Control] [Demand Element]: This second span concerns the range of trade-offs affecting the measures used to evaluate a team’s achievements. The setting of this span is determined by the kind of behavior the team’s supervisor wants to see. As Simons noted, the span of control and span of accountability are not independent. They must be considered together. The first defines the resources available to a team; the second defines the goals the team is expected to achieve.
