Dunbar’s Number
Dunbar’s number represents a theoretical upper limit to the number of people with whom a person can carry on a useful social relationship. It’s also therefore the largest an organization can become without needing some sort of management to remain stable.
This number was estimated/calculated by Robin Dunbar in 1992 based on studies of groups of primates. The whole concept was wonderfully discussed in Inside the Monkeysphere, a short article by David Wong, the author of the much-acclaimed John Dies at the End.
Apparently the book The Tipping Point really popularized the idea, but I have to confess that I haven’t yet read it.
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