# What is the Appropriate Size of an Organization By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-05-11 Determining the size of an organization is not as easy as it seems. How many people are needed to execute and coordinate the work? Seems like there should be an analytic answer to this question. There isn’t. A major part of the problem is that people have a great deal of discretion when it comes to work. What gets done and how it gets down within an organization will change as a function of how many people are working in it. If the organization is smaller, it will focus on the efficient execution of essential tasks. If the organization is larger, it will develop niche areas of expertise and examine things more holistically. Which is better? Well, much of modern business is built around efficiency, so one might conclude that making organizations smaller is better. Whereas there is some logic to this, there is also a case to be made for the ability to think and develop. There is no “right” answer. Smaller and larger organizations each contribute something. One could add or subtract an individual from either a smaller or larger organization and the organization would likely execute work largely indistinguishable from when the person was working. Analysts could develop a model and determine that given a set of characteristics the organization should contain X number of people. Would that definitively answer the question as to the appropriate size of an organization? No, but it might make leadership feel more comfortable with whatever number they choose. #### Related Items [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Work]] [[Management]] [[Business]] [[Preferences]]