Our operations department has expanded rapidly, and we now have twelve field technicians reporting directly to our Operations Manager. He is drowning in admin work. How do we restructure the Accountability Chart to insert a layer of management without creating bureaucracy or silos?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A span of control of twelve direct reports is a recipe for operational failure. In the EOS system, the rule of thumb is that a leader can effectively manage, direct, and develop three to seven people. Once you exceed seven, communication breaks down, coaching stops, and details start slipping through the cracks.

To solve this on your Accountability Chart, you must insert a leadership layer without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. You do this by grouping the technicians logically and creating team lead seats. For example, you can split the twelve technicians into two teams of six based on geography, product line, or shift.

Next, you create two Team Lead seats on your chart. These leads will report directly to the Operations Manager, and the remaining technicians will report to their respective Team Lead. This immediately reduces the Operations Manager's span of control from twelve to two.

To keep this lean and avoid empty management seats, these Team Leads can initially be player-coach roles. Their five major roles on the Accountability Chart will include both performing field technician work and managing their small team. This structure gives your Operations Manager his sanity back, allows him to focus on higher-level operational Rocks, and establishes a clear path of career progression for your best technicians.