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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JenStar on July 24, 2005, at 23:07:27
hi all,
I read that the ideal number of people to particpate in a group tops out around 150 members. Above 150, it's too hard for people to know each other and interact with everyone on a regular basis. There are some companies that work around the 150 number on purpose to maximize employee interaction and minimize compartmentalism.How do you think we do on babble? Dr. Bob, are there more or less than 150 regularly contributing members (average)?
Is this the reason that people were pushing the idea of small groups a while back -- is the feeling that Babble is getting too big and unwieldy for group discussion?
Has anyone read the book that I'm referring to? It's called "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. I mentioned it in an earlier post - it's a great, fun read!
JenStar
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 27, 2005, at 12:06:49
In reply to 150 - the magic number?, posted by JenStar on July 24, 2005, at 23:07:27
> I read that the ideal number of people to particpate in a group tops out around 150 members.
Thanks for bringing this up. What kinds of groups was he talking about?
> Dr. Bob, are there more or less than 150 regularly contributing members (average)?
It depends what you mean by regularly. Here's one set of statistics:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050219/msgs/468378.html
> Is this the reason that people were pushing the idea of small groups a while back -- is the feeling that Babble is getting too big and unwieldy for group discussion?
Well, I don't know if the goal here is for everyone to get to know and interact with *everyone*... Part of it was that a big group can be more intimidating, too.
Bob
Posted by JenStar on July 27, 2005, at 17:37:34
In reply to Re: 150 - the magic number?, posted by Dr. Bob on July 27, 2005, at 12:06:49
hi Dr. Bob,
He was referring to different kinds of groups: Military units, small towns of Hutterites, manufacturing companies, and social networks. Apparently different kinds of organizations have come to the independent conclusions that if you have more than 150 people in a group, the overall cohesiveness starts to break down.
At 150, it's easier to get people working in sync, towards the same goals. At more than 150, the group typically splinters into factions and it becomes necessary to implement more rigorous hiearchical means to assure group assent and compliance.
He gives the examle of Gore-Tex, a successful company that deliberately sets up work groups in 150 or less. A group would consist of engineers, marketing, management, etc -- everyone who is necessary to create a project and sell it. If a site has ~150 employees, people get to know each other formally and informally, recongize styles, behaviors and strengths, and align themselves to maximize output on projects.
He also quotes a certain researcher who came up with an equation relationg the ratio of neocortex to overall brain size and the maximum number of animals who can effectively work together in a group. He found that it's accurate for many primates, and that for humans, the number in his equation is close to 150.
It's a really interesting read. I'd recommend it!
JenStar
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 28, 2005, at 23:29:02
In reply to Re: 150 - the magic number? » Dr. Bob, posted by JenStar on July 27, 2005, at 17:37:34
> He was referring to different kinds of groups: Military units, small towns of Hutterites, manufacturing companies, and social networks.
>
> At more than 150, the group typically splinters into factions and it becomes necessary to implement more rigorous hiearchical means to assure group assent and compliance.
>
> He gives the examle of Gore-Tex, a successful company that deliberately sets up work groups in 150 or less... If a site has ~150 employees, people get to know each other formally and informally, recongize styles, behaviors and strengths, and align themselves to maximize output on projects.It's interesting that he includes small towns, sometimes I think this was more like a small town before and is more like a big city (pop. 12,407) now. A big city that requires "hierarchical means to assure group assent and compliance"...
OTOH, I'm not sure this is a work group with the goal of "maximizing output"...
Bob
Posted by JenStar on July 29, 2005, at 12:04:51
In reply to Re: 150 - the magic number?, posted by Dr. Bob on July 28, 2005, at 23:29:02
Yes, I'm not sure how well the "150 rule" applies to purely social groups that don't have a work-related objective or goal. I suppose that the <150 social community might become more tightly knit and respectful of each other, because everyone knows everyone else, and social constraints (in addition to genuine like) might prevent bad behavior.
But I also think that the amount of respect and tight-knittedness within a group also has a great deal to do with the leadership and values of the "management" or the ones in charge -- if they set the right tone, the small group can really mirror that and achieve it. The big group, too. And there has to be positive feedback to encourage the right behavior, and a way to give dis-incentives for the bad behavior.
I agree, Babble doesn't seem to be a group with a specific goal in mind, and we're def. not working to "maximize output!" (Or are we, in our own way? Maybe we're all working to improve our lives and help improve the lives of others, and our fragmented, disjointed goals all sync up into a "global goal?") It's still different from a very objective goal, though, such as "improve market share by 10%" or "reduce operating costs by 15%" or "decrease breakthrough voltage by 1%."
But it still seems sort of like a small town to me, sometimes. The amount of people who post daily on the social, psych and admin boards seems small enough that I feel that I'm part of a small group.
thanks for posting!
JenStar
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 30, 2005, at 13:38:44
In reply to Re: 150 - the magic number? » Dr. Bob, posted by JenStar on July 29, 2005, at 12:04:51
> But it still seems sort of like a small town to me, sometimes. The amount of people who post daily on the social, psych and admin boards seems small enough that I feel that I'm part of a small group.
I guess "small" is subjective! And small towns aren't for everyone, either...
Bob
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