When the supervisor-to-subordinate ratio exceeds manageable span of control, what NIMS Management characteristic is being described?

The correct answer highlights the concept of Modular Organization within the NIMS Management characteristics. This principle emphasizes the importance of maintaining an effective span of control within an organization during incident management. When the number of subordinates reporting directly to a single supervisor grows too large, it can lead to challenges in effective communication, coordination, and oversight.

A Modular Organization allows for the division of operations into smaller, manageable units, ensuring that each supervisor maintains a manageable span of control. This arrangement promotes clarity in roles and responsibilities, facilitates better communication, and enhances overall incident management efficiency.

In contrast, the other concepts—Unified Command, Incident Command System, and Chain of Command—focus on structure, authority, or collaborative management approaches but do not specifically address the issue of managing supervisory ratios and operational effectiveness like Modular Organization does.