Short answer: Spans of control are widening fast. Gallup data cited by Forbes shows the average manager had 12.1 direct reports in 2025, up from 10.9 in 2024 and 8.2 in 2013. Companies are removing management layers and citing AI as a reason, and engineering organizations are among the most affected.

Key span of control data at a glance

• 12.1 average direct reports per manager in 2025, up from 8.2 in 2013 (Gallup).
• US manager headcount fell 6.1% between May 2022 and May 2025 (Live Data Technologies, reported by the Wall Street Journal).
• Google reported 35% fewer managers overseeing small teams year over year.
• 41% of employees say their company cut management layers (Korn Ferry).
• Gartner predicted that through 2026, 20% of organizations would use AI to flatten their structure, eliminating more than half of current middle management positions.

[Table 1]

Why are organizations flattening?

• Cost pressure. Management layers are an easy target in efficiency programs.
• AI takes over coordination work. Status reporting, scheduling and performance tracking are increasingly automated.
• Smaller teams ship more. AI-assisted engineers produce more per person, so leaders question the number of team leads.

What is the risk for engineering organizations?

The data also shows a cost. DDI's Global Leadership Forecast 2025 puts leadership bench strength at 20%, and 40% of stressed leaders have considered leaving. In engineering, wide spans create 3 specific problems:

1. Review backlogs. Managers who still approve designs and code reviews become bottlenecks.
2. Weaker career development. Engineers get less coaching, which hurts retention of the senior people now in highest demand.
3. A future leadership gap. Fewer manager roles mean fewer people learning to lead, which shrinks the pool of future VPs of Engineering and CTOs.

What span of control works in engineering?

[Table 2]

Wider spans work only when teams are senior and autonomous, platforms are strong and staff or principal engineers carry technical leadership. Our guide to B2B SaaS engineering org design covers how to split those responsibilities.

What should CTOs and VPs of Engineering do?

1. Separate people leadership from technical leadership. Strong staff and principal engineer tracks let managers carry more reports without blocking decisions.
2. Automate status work first. Remove reporting overhead before removing managers.
3. Track the warning signs. Review wait times, regretted attrition and time since last 1:1 show when a span is too wide.
4. Keep a leadership pipeline. Rotate senior engineers through tech lead and acting manager roles.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average span of control in 2025?

12.1 direct reports per manager, according to Gallup data cited by Forbes.

How many direct reports should an engineering manager have?

Most engineering teams work best with 6 to 10. Spans above 12 work only with senior, autonomous teams and strong technical leadership below the manager.

Is AI eliminating middle management?

It is a stated driver of flattening. Gartner predicted that 20% of organizations would use AI to remove more than half of their middle management positions by 2026.

Discuss org design with other engineering leaders: apply to join CTO Club.