The maximum number of people we can deal with in a network
Dave Snowden used to say that we can only know 150 people at any particular time or for any single network (read identity). This has been a useful rule of thumb for me in designing communities of practice but I wondered where the idea came from. I found this reference today from apophenia.
R. I. M. Dunbar, “Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates,” Journal of Human Evolution, vol. 20, pp. 469-493, 1992.
apophenia makes the following observation:
When anthropologist Robin Dunbar wrote about a 150-person cap in one’s social network, he was not referring to 150 people in one’s lifetime. He was saying that people can maintain up to 150 weak ties at any given point in time. [And that tie maintenance is directly related to gossip upkeep and brain size, just as monkey tie maintenance is directly related to grooming and brain size.]
Are there other references that make a similar observation about 150 people in a single network?
Shawn, author of Putting Stories to Work, is one of the world's leading business storytelling consultants. He helps executive teams find and tell the story of their strategy. When he is not working on strategy communication, Shawn is helping leaders find and tell business stories to engage, to influence and to inspire. Shawn works with Global 1000 companies including Shell, IBM, SAP, Bayer, Microsoft & Danone. Connect with Shawn on: