Why do organisations need historians? In straightforward language, to avoid repeating the very obvious mistakes of the past. In addition, I’d suggest that it’s to help cope with ‘policy boomerangs’ and ‘faddism archaeology’. Organisational memory can be a fragile and ephemeral thing. So, if was in charge… every organisation of up to 150 people you […]
Dunbar’s Number 150, Perfect for Christmas Card Lists and Twitter Friends
It’s that time of year in our house when I dutifully read all of the Christmas Cards before they are dispatched for recycling. There are literally 100’s of them. “How can there be so many?” I ask my wife, who controls everything Christmas related at home, with ruthless military precision. “There are only supposed to be 150, it’s […]
150 Swedish Tax Inspectors, The Monkeysphere and Stable Work Groups.
Now here’s an idea. Organise your Tax Inspectors along the lines of a 150 strong monkey colony. If they spend 42% of their time ‘social grooming’ don’t worry, that’s what’s needed to maintain community cohesion and a stable workforce. This is not as strange as it seems. It’s all about the size of our brains, […]
Employee Engagement – is 150 the Magic Number, plus something else?
Is there such a thing as the ‘best’ or ‘right’ number of people in a successful organisation? Last week I was at the Cardiff University Distinguished Lecture Series where I listened to Professor Robin Dunbar explain that around 150 people is the optimum number to maintain the informal relationships and cohesiveness that allow a community […]
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