Which management problem is characterized by having too many immediate subordinates to be effective?

The concept of span of management refers to the number of subordinates that a manager supervises directly. When a manager has too many immediate subordinates, it can lead to several challenges that hinder effective management. A very wide span of management can result in difficulties in communication, decreased individual attention to employees, and potential oversight of important tasks or issues. As the manager’s responsibilities increase, maintaining quality supervision becomes challenging, often leading to reduced performance and motivation among staff.

In contrast, job assignment confusion pertains to unclear roles and responsibilities, communication breakdown involves problems in the flow of information, and resource allocation deals with the distribution of resources to various needs within an organization. While these issues can affect management effectiveness, they do not specifically address the challenge posed by having an unmanageable number of direct reports, which is at the core of the span of management concept.