Team size matters

More connections increases the complexity to navigate. Photo by Omar Flores on Unsplash

There is plenty to suggest that the size of a team matters – for various tasks there are various optimal numbers. My advice on this is to let that be guided by the team’s context and have one more team member than would make the team ineffective. Go as lean as possible.

Be very wary of falling into the trap that more people are going to get the job done better or quicker. Just like too many cooks can spoil a broth, too many team members can slow decisions and unnecessarily complicate coordinating actions.

One of the reasons that larger teams can lose effectiveness can be seen by considering Metcalfe’s Law. This is a formula that has been used to calculate the number of potential connections within a communication network. The numbers work for teams also. For the mathematically inclined, here is the formula:

Possible connections = n(n-1)/2

(where n = the number of team members)

For the rest of us, here’s what that means. The number of possible connections within teams increases exponentially as members increase.

For example:

• 2 team members = 1 connection

• 3 team members = 2 connections

• 5 team members = 10 connections

• 10 team members = 45 connections

• 20 team members = 190 connections

Strong connections between team members are central to high performing teams. The more connections, the less likely that members are able to commit time and attention to them - and hence they are not likely to be strong. To tap into the benefits of team performance, keep your connections to the optimal level for your context – and no more.

Some questions for you to consider:

• How many would be too few people within your teams to be effective?

• Do your teams ever suffer from too many weak connections?