In his book published in 2000 called "The Tipping Point," Malcolm Gladwell tried to identify why some ideas are spread quickly among people while others do not and what factors influence that spread. One of the critical things he remembered was the benefits of keeping groups under 150 people (called "๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ").
He connected this to the work of British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who suggested a cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships (and it is 150 - ๐๐๐ป๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ). There is also another rule that impacts this, and it's called ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ณ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐ฎ๐. It says that the more people you add to a network, the harder it is to communicate effectively.
It takes work to maintain effective communication in large groups. Only so many relationships can be handled simultaneously by our minds. According to researchers, ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ and a few less intense ones with another 15.
Gladwell uses this concept to illustrate why smaller groups can often be more effective and productive:
๐ญ. ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: In smaller groups, communication is often more accessible, transparent, and efficient. Everyone can know everyone else, leading to better understanding, less confusion, and more effective teamwork.
๐ฎ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐: Smaller groups can foster closer relationships and trust among their members. With fewer people, creating deeper bonds that encourage collaboration, innovation, and shared ownership of goals and
outcomes is possible.
๐ฏ. ๐ข๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ: In smaller groups, each individual's role and contribution are more noticeable. This can lead to a greater sense of personal accountability, and people are less likely to "hide in the crowd."
๐ฐ. ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ด๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: Smaller organizations tend to be more agile, and able to make decisions more quickly. They can adapt faster to changes and challenges, which can be advantageous in volatile or rapidly changing circumstances.
๐ฑ. ๐๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐: A robust and unified culture is often easier to establish and maintain within smaller groups. Shared values and norms can be more easily understood and upheld when the group size is below 150.
Of course, larger groups can also be successful, but you might need different management and communication structures to be equally effective there.
