Although the topic of span of control (SOC) has been discussed in detail in management literature and education, less focus has been placed on the decline research since the 1970s and, thus, the future relevance of the concept. By providing a historical overview of the literature on SOC through the work of key management scholars, this paper aims to explain why the literatures’ coverage of the topic has been significantly diminished in recent decades and offers suggestions as to why further research on the topic is needed.,The authors provide a historical literature review and analysis on the decline of SOC as a construct of interest.,The findings of the paper include a brief analysis of SOC. The concept was a very strong concept that declined as management became more scientific, rejecting classical management theory. This rejection occurred because SOC was impacted by multiple factors making it impossible to effectively study, making it imprecise. Likewise, SOC is too applied and lacked theoretical relevance. However, SOC still has value, especially when paired with a theory such as leader-member-exchange (LMX).,The authors argue that SOC is still relevant today and management scholars should align its study with its practice in modern organizational structures. However, its focus needs to change and be added to other theories such as LMX.

中文翻译：

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概念之旅：控制跨度——上升、下降，接下来是什么？

尽管在管理文献和教育中已经详细讨论了控制跨度 (SOC) 的主题，但较少关注自 1970 年代以来的衰退研究以及该概念的未来相关性。本文通过主要管理学者的工作提供有关 SOC 文献的历史概述，旨在解释为什么近几十年来该主题的文献覆盖范围显着减少，并就为什么对该主题进行进一步研究提供了建议。需要。,作者提供了历史文献回顾和分析作为感兴趣的构造的 SOC 的下降。,论文的发现包括对 SOC 的简要分析。这个概念是一个非常强大的概念，随着管理变得更加科学，拒绝经典管理理论而衰落。之所以发生这种拒绝，是因为 SOC 受到多种因素的影响，使其无法进行有效研究，从而使其不精确。同样，SOC 过于应用，缺乏理论相关性。然而，SOC 仍然具有价值，尤其是在与领导成员交换 (LMX) 等理论相结合时。作者认为，SOC 在今天仍然具有相关性，管理学者应将其研究与其在现代组织结构中的实践相结合。然而，它的重点需要改变并被添加到其他理论中，例如 LMX。作者认为 SOC 在今天仍然具有相关性，管理学者应该将其研究与其在现代组织结构中的实践相结合。然而，它的重点需要改变并被添加到其他理论中，例如 LMX。作者认为 SOC 在今天仍然具有相关性，管理学者应该将其研究与其在现代组织结构中的实践相结合。然而，它的重点需要改变并被添加到其他理论中，例如 LMX。