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Original Article

Span of Control in Front-Line Nurse Managers

Ae-lee Choi1, Miyoung Kim2, Sujin Choi1, Chong Mo Koo1
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration 2017;23(4):373-384.
Published online: September 30, 2017

1Graduate School, Ewha Womans University, Korea.

2College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kim, Miyoung. College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3277-6694, Fax: +82-2-3277-2850, mykim0808@ewha.ac.kr
• Received: May 4, 2017   • Revised: June 24, 2017   • Accepted: July 15, 2017

Copyright © 2017 Korean Academy of Nursing Administration

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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  • Purpose
    Span of Control defines the scope of the managers' responsibilities to manage nursing staff. This study was done to measure span of control of front-line nurse managers (FLNMs) in Korea hospitals resulting in improvement in their work efficiency.
  • Methods
    A sample of 203 FLNMs from five tertiary hospitals was recruited and completed the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using χ2-test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé, and Pearson correlation coefficient.
  • Results
    FLNMs had ‘narrow’ (n=8, 4.3%), ‘appropriate’ (n=161, 87.0%), and ‘wide’ (n=16, 8.6%) span of control. Span of control had significant correlations with the number of nurses (r=.63, p<.001), the number of non-nurses (r=.53, p<.001), units (r=.52, p<.001), staff (r=.83, p<.001), and programs (r=.67, p<.001).
  • Conclusion
    The research findings indicate that attention should be given to unit complexity, program diversity, total staff, and skills. Moreover, administrators of hospital and nursing departments need to provide systematic support in accordance with FLNMs’ wide span of control.
  • Key Words: Personnel management; Workload; Nurse managers
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Table 1

Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=203)

jkana-23-373-i001.jpg

*Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

Table 2

Relationship between Perceived and Measured Span of Control (N=185)

jkana-23-373-i002.jpg
Table 3

Span of Control according to Unit, Staff, and Program Characteristics (N=186)

jkana-23-373-i003.jpg

OS=Orthosurgery; OR=Operation room; ER=Emergency room; ICU=Intensive care unit; OBGY=Obstetrics & gynecology; DR=Delivery room; FLNM=Front-line nurse managers.

Table 4

Differences in Span of Control according to Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=186)

jkana-23-373-i004.jpg

*Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

Table 5

Correlation between Numbers of Nurses, Non-nurses, and Span of Control (N=183)

jkana-23-373-i005.jpg

Figure & Data

References

    Citations

    Citations to this article as recorded by  
    • Understanding the Impact of Span of Control on Nurse Managers and Hospital Outcomes
      Asiah Ruffin, Maria R. Shirey, Tracey Dick, Pariya L. Fazeli, Patricia A. Patrician
      Journal of Healthcare Management.2023; 68(3): 158.     CrossRef
    • Nurse managers’ perception of governance among Korean nurses
      Sujin Choi
      Journal of Nursing Management.2021; 29(7): 2065.     CrossRef
    • Experience in Nursing Unit Management on First Line Nurse Managers
      Mi Young Han, Sue Kyung Sohn, Yeon Sil Cho, Ick Jee Kim, Mi Suk Kim
      Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2021; 27(3): 138.     CrossRef
    • Factors Influencing Managerial Competence of Frontline Nurse Managers
      Ran Lee, Miyoung Kim, Sujin Choi, Hee Yeon Shin
      Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2018; 24(5): 435.     CrossRef

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    Span of Control in Front-Line Nurse Managers
    J Korean Acad Nurs Adm. 2017;23(4):373-384.   Published online September 30, 2017
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2017.23.4.373
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    Span of Control in Front-Line Nurse Managers
    J Korean Acad Nurs Adm. 2017;23(4):373-384.   Published online September 30, 2017
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2017.23.4.373
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    Span of Control in Front-Line Nurse Managers
    Span of Control in Front-Line Nurse Managers

    Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=203)

    *Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

    Relationship between Perceived and Measured Span of Control (N=185)

    Span of Control according to Unit, Staff, and Program Characteristics (N=186)

    OS=Orthosurgery; OR=Operation room; ER=Emergency room; ICU=Intensive care unit; OBGY=Obstetrics & gynecology; DR=Delivery room; FLNM=Front-line nurse managers.

    Differences in Span of Control according to Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=186)

    *Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

    Correlation between Numbers of Nurses, Non-nurses, and Span of Control (N=183)
    Table 1 Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=203)

    *Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

    Table 2 Relationship between Perceived and Measured Span of Control (N=185)

    Table 3 Span of Control according to Unit, Staff, and Program Characteristics (N=186)

    OS=Orthosurgery; OR=Operation room; ER=Emergency room; ICU=Intensive care unit; OBGY=Obstetrics & gynecology; DR=Delivery room; FLNM=Front-line nurse managers.

    Table 4 Differences in Span of Control according to Characteristics of Participants and Hospitals (N=186)

    *Others=Hemodialysis, central supply room, special testing area, health screening department; †Non responses were excluded.

    Table 5 Correlation between Numbers of Nurses, Non-nurses, and Span of Control (N=183)

    Table 1

    Table 2

    Table 3

    Table 4

    Table 5

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