Eight people on committee leads to decision deadlock, scientists say
Having eight people on a committee is a virtual guarantee for deadlock, scientists have found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/4221839/Eight-people-on-committee-leads-to-decision-deadlock-scientists-say.html
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates, has nine members while the powerful US National Security Council has six.
The study, led by Peter Klimek of the Medical University of Vienna estimated that 20 appeared to be the ideal maximum size for a committee or cabinet.
He warned that groups larger than that - such as Gordon Brown's cabinet of 22 members - were likely to be paralysed by indecision and factionalism.
The group's findings, set out in New Scientist, provide scientific backing for the theories of C. Northcote Parkinson, the former British Army major, who came up with a series of observations on bureaucracy based his experiences during the Second World War.
His light-hearted observations on military decision led to the so-called "Parkinson's law", the theory which holds that work expands to fill the time available.
Rule of 7: The Ideal Work Group Size
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rule-of-7-the-ideal-work-group-size/
That's according to the new book Decide & Deliver: 5 Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization (Harvard Business Press).
Once you've got 7 people in a group, each additional member reduces decision effectiveness by 10%, say the authors, Marcia W. Blenko, Michael C. Mankins, and Paul Rogers.
Unsurprisingly, a group of 17 or more rarely makes a decision other than when to take a lunch break.
Larger groups only seem to work when they adopt a strict set of governing policies, such as spelling out when a majority is needed to ratify a decision versus a plurality. But just getting agreement on those policies alone can be several meetings worth of work.
Having eight people on a committee is a virtual guarantee for deadlock, scientists have found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/4221839/Eight-people-on-committee-leads-to-decision-deadlock-scientists-say.html
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates, has nine members while the powerful US National Security Council has six.
The study, led by Peter Klimek of the Medical University of Vienna estimated that 20 appeared to be the ideal maximum size for a committee or cabinet.
He warned that groups larger than that - such as Gordon Brown's cabinet of 22 members - were likely to be paralysed by indecision and factionalism.
The group's findings, set out in New Scientist, provide scientific backing for the theories of C. Northcote Parkinson, the former British Army major, who came up with a series of observations on bureaucracy based his experiences during the Second World War.
His light-hearted observations on military decision led to the so-called "Parkinson's law", the theory which holds that work expands to fill the time available.
Rule of 7: The Ideal Work Group Size
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rule-of-7-the-ideal-work-group-size/
That's according to the new book Decide & Deliver: 5 Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization (Harvard Business Press).
Once you've got 7 people in a group, each additional member reduces decision effectiveness by 10%, say the authors, Marcia W. Blenko, Michael C. Mankins, and Paul Rogers.
Unsurprisingly, a group of 17 or more rarely makes a decision other than when to take a lunch break.
Larger groups only seem to work when they adopt a strict set of governing policies, such as spelling out when a majority is needed to ratify a decision versus a plurality. But just getting agreement on those policies alone can be several meetings worth of work.
No comments:
Post a Comment