title: Examining the relationships between span of control and manager job and unit performance outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to examine the combination of frontline manager (FLM) personal characteristics and span of control (SOC) on their job and unit performance outcomes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Healthcare downsizing and reform have contributed to larger spans for FLMs in Canadian hospitals and increased concerns about manager workload. Despite a heightened awareness of SOC issues among decision makers, there is limited empirical evidence related to the effects of SOC on outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A non-experimental predictive survey design was used to examine FLM SOC in 14 Canadian academic hospitals. Managers (n = 121) completed an online survey of work characteristics and The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) SOC tool. Unit turnover data were collected from organisational databases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combination of SOC and core self-evaluation significantly predicted role overload, work control and job satisfaction, but only SOC predicted unit adverse outcomes and neither significantly predicted unit turnover.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings contribute to an understanding of connections between the combination of SOC and core self-evaluation and manager job and unit performance outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Organisational strategies to create manageable FLM SOC are essential to ensure exemplary job and unit outcomes. Core self-evaluation is a personality characteristic that may enhance manager performance in the face of high spans of control.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Health Sciences Addition (HSA), The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elliott-Miller
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laschinger
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cuddihy
authors.forename: Raquel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keatings
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Szudy
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care
keywords: frontline clinical manager; span of control; work outcomes and unit outcomes