LMX Theory

Pages 192-3 in the textbook talks about the LMX (Leader-Member eXchange) theory, and how the leader may interact with one member of a group more than the rest, causing an imbalance in the manner of interaction the leader has with the members of the group.

This may be the case when one member a group brings more value to the team compared to others. The manager may therefore spend more time with that member, and place greater emphasis on that member's opinions compared to others in the same group. Although this is the natural response of the manager, it may not brood well for a group where other team-members may feel resentment because only one among them gets specialized treatment.

Span of Control

On page 51 of the textbook, there is a discussion of "Span of Control", which refers to the number of people that can be supervised by one manager without causing the manager to become over-worked or over-stressed. The upper limit to the Span of Control is estimated to be 7-9 persons.

I think that this number is actually an underestimate, and that improvements in information technology have probably increased the Span of Control to about 20. When I was in graduate school, there were some professors who supervised over 20 graduate students primarily by communicating with them through email, and saw their students in person only when it was absolutely necessary. This helped the students to utilize the professor's time in a more effective manner, and it was not difficult for the professor to maintain good communication with 20 students on a routine basis.