WHAT’S THE IDEAL SIZE OF A TEAM?
QUESTION OF THE DAY
When you create transparency, assign clear responsibilities, coordinate well, and catch social loafing while bringing together people with diversified sets of skills and profiles you reach the optimal productivity with the quality of the outcome.
Looking at the graphic above - what are the team sizes in your organization that achieve the most progress and generate lasting impact?
Initially, a French engineer, M. Ringelmann, discovered that people's effort quickly diminished due to the inability to coordinate with the increased team sizes. That was later corrected by A. Ingham discovering social loafing — when members of larger teams reduce their effort because they feel less responsible for the output.
The opinions on team sizes will vary based on the environment and skills you need to assemble in the Team.
Navy seals team size - 4
Bezos - "Number of people that two pizzas can feed." O*
Basketball 5, Volleyball 6, Waterpolo 7
The team size for maximum productivity will be in the 5-7 person range. O*
If you work with larger teams and reducing team sizes is not an option, here are three tips from Mark de Rond O*
Divide up a complex task into manageable bits
Generate a sense of urgency = give people something to care about more than themselves.
Provide greater transparency by opening up your feedback mechanism
3T's enable team performance - 1. TRANSPARENCY, so everyone knows What's Going On (WGO), 2. TRUST in a maximum effort towards the outcome, and 3. TANGIBLE ACTIONS that get rewarded.
Success is never solely down to creative ideas or unique products or services. The difference between success and failure is actually down to the fundamentals of how you operationalize your business. Check our guide to the best operational and transformation practices, that people love.