Listen to this article
It’s incredibly tempting to just believe that the more the merrier when it comes to putting people on a project. You’d think that the more you assign to, the faster and smoother it will all go, yes? After all, more hands on deck means getting more work done. But let me burst your bubble and say that it doesn’t work that way. When too many people are involved, coordination may become the full-time job here.
Suddenly, you’ll find yourself not only managing a project but also the chaos that lies within the team as well. Deadlines will slip, opinions may clash by 70%, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself losing progress instead of gaining it. That is why this guide is here for all leaders. We know it may be hard and that is why we will tell you when you should and when you shouldn’t assign a certain number of employees or individuals to one project.
The Big-Team Trap
Three words: Diffusion of responsibility. What do these mean? It means that in large teams, individuals often assume someone else will handle “it.” Add in roles that overlap, communication that tends to break down, and meetings that tend to always feel endless. Ones that literally had the potential of becoming an email. But anyways… The moral of the story here is that sometimes the bigger the number is, the slower productivity is. Sometimes a big number would just be less efficient than leaders would think.
Finding the Right Number
The ideal team size is not actually a given number. It all depends. Too frustrating of an answer? Bear with me. The size of your team depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If it is a creative project, a small and agile team of five to seven would do the trick. It would have enough diversity to come up with creative and various ideas, yet be small enough for quick decision-making.
As for technical or large-scale tasks. A moderate team with clearly defined roles will keep the balance of the workflow just perfect. If you wish to just go big with a project, you will have to make sure that you have strong leadership. Create strict communication channels and grant your team the tools necessary to prevent people from stepping on each other’s toes. Metaphorically and sometimes (unfortunate times) literally.
Your Ultimate “Leader” Checklist
I tend to often compare things with pizza. This is a time when it also fits the metaphor. You know how you should never overwhelm the crust with too many toppings or else it will collapse? That is exactly how you should be thinking when you’re deciding on the size of your team. Here are some bullet tips to help:
- Scope: How complex or big is your project? Because bigger doesn’t always mean harder or bigger in team size.
- Speed: If you assign a small team, you’ll find that it moves faster than a bigger one that may require more coordination from your end. Prioritize based on your project’s scale.
- Skills: Do you need specialists or generalists? Choose based on gaps and not headcount.
- Structure: The larger the team, the tighter your management needs to be. Remember that and be careful of how you proceed.
- Simplicity: If too many people are asking, “who’s doing what?” it’s already too many. Abort mission.
Final Thoughts…
If you wish to be a great leader, let your vision and mission design teams and not just assign projects or people. The secret here isn’t at all in the numbers. I beg to differ with all the minds who may think it is. It lies in how you balance employee or individual roles.
So, before you assemble your avengers, (sorry for the Marvel pun), ask yourself the following: do you need an army? Or just a few skilled commanders who know how to get the job done with efficiency? Get your priorities and sort them out and I promise you, life and leadership will get easier.
