Is 7 the "Magic Number"?

According to John Kotter, the second step in planning and leading a successful change process is to create a team to guide the decision making about the change. Members of the team should balance leadership with management skills, should be the ‘right people’ in terms of peer group credibility and trust, and who have (or can make) time available to focus on effective teamwork and guiding the change project.

When working with clients we often get asked "How big should a guiding team be?".  In the movie The Magnificent Seven, a group of gunfighters protects a village from bandits. The movie is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.

As it turns out, seven is a great number for not only forming an effective fighting force but for also for any group that makes decisions.  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.

What do you think?  Does this backup your experience?  Does a group of 17 or more rarely make a decision other than when to take a lunch break?

See http://www.leadingboldchange.co.uk/8steps_02.html for more information.