Page 9 - ESM-18.3
P. 9
T echnology
By Paul Hebert, VP,
Solutions Design, Symbolist
Dunbar's Number
and the Jetson Fallacy
ome of you may be familiar with Dunbar’s THE HOLY GRAIL
Number. It was defned originally by Robin Scale is the holy grail of today’s business world. Scale
SDunbar, a Britsh anthropologist who, based on is all about getng more (much, much, more) and
extrapolatons from primates to humans, suggested spending less (much, much, less) to get it. If you’re not
that humans tend to only comfortably manage looking for something that can scale then you’re toast.
relatonships with about 150 people. Once that Even the engagement space isn’t immune to the desire
threshold (plus or minus a few people of course – for scale. The last 10 years or so has seen a huge uptck
nothing with humans is exact) is reached, there’s in the number and type of SaaS products all designed to
a need for more restrictve rules, regulatons and create a “write once – run everywhere” experience for
enforced norms to maintain order and stability. clients. The theory being that engagement is a sofware
You may think this only applies in social contexts, problem and if I can just get enough people to run the
but the 150 person rule has been discussed and sofware I can engage my customers, my vendors, my
observed in businesses as well. W.L.Gore & Associates employees. And, if I can just get enough people on the
– makers of Gore-Tex and a company repeatedly sofware – employees, vendors, customers – then I can
recognized as a “best company to work for” – limits its increase engagement and therefore increase profts.
producton plants to 150 people. According to Bill Gore, The result was an investment in the technologies
the late founder of the company: “We found again and that connect people and (with a litle fnger crossing)
again that things get clumsy at a hundred and ffy.” engage them.
So what does Dunbar’s Number have to do The frst step was sofware that was custom
with engagement? Simple. Readers of ESM are designed. One-of solutons, custom built for each
businesspeople. We get paid to make money. Either client. But custom didn’t scale well. Then it was “mass-
for ourselves or our business overlords – or both. We customizaton” – smaller blocks of code easily updated
focus on those things that can most easily, most readily and connected to create bigger system with less efort.
(and most importantly) make it rain. And one of the Stll, however, not enough scale to really drive proft.
things that has become almost stupidly obvious with
technology is that scale is the killer app. Then came service as a sofware (SaaS) –
programming’s version of the holy grail – for multple
Scale helps us make money. clients with similar problems. Now companies can
continued on page 20
8 engagement strategies Vol.18 Issue 3
By Paul Hebert, VP,
Solutions Design, Symbolist
Dunbar's Number
and the Jetson Fallacy
ome of you may be familiar with Dunbar’s THE HOLY GRAIL
Number. It was defned originally by Robin Scale is the holy grail of today’s business world. Scale
SDunbar, a Britsh anthropologist who, based on is all about getng more (much, much, more) and
extrapolatons from primates to humans, suggested spending less (much, much, less) to get it. If you’re not
that humans tend to only comfortably manage looking for something that can scale then you’re toast.
relatonships with about 150 people. Once that Even the engagement space isn’t immune to the desire
threshold (plus or minus a few people of course – for scale. The last 10 years or so has seen a huge uptck
nothing with humans is exact) is reached, there’s in the number and type of SaaS products all designed to
a need for more restrictve rules, regulatons and create a “write once – run everywhere” experience for
enforced norms to maintain order and stability. clients. The theory being that engagement is a sofware
You may think this only applies in social contexts, problem and if I can just get enough people to run the
but the 150 person rule has been discussed and sofware I can engage my customers, my vendors, my
observed in businesses as well. W.L.Gore & Associates employees. And, if I can just get enough people on the
– makers of Gore-Tex and a company repeatedly sofware – employees, vendors, customers – then I can
recognized as a “best company to work for” – limits its increase engagement and therefore increase profts.
producton plants to 150 people. According to Bill Gore, The result was an investment in the technologies
the late founder of the company: “We found again and that connect people and (with a litle fnger crossing)
again that things get clumsy at a hundred and ffy.” engage them.
So what does Dunbar’s Number have to do The frst step was sofware that was custom
with engagement? Simple. Readers of ESM are designed. One-of solutons, custom built for each
businesspeople. We get paid to make money. Either client. But custom didn’t scale well. Then it was “mass-
for ourselves or our business overlords – or both. We customizaton” – smaller blocks of code easily updated
focus on those things that can most easily, most readily and connected to create bigger system with less efort.
(and most importantly) make it rain. And one of the Stll, however, not enough scale to really drive proft.
things that has become almost stupidly obvious with
technology is that scale is the killer app. Then came service as a sofware (SaaS) –
programming’s version of the holy grail – for multple
Scale helps us make money. clients with similar problems. Now companies can
continued on page 20
8 engagement strategies Vol.18 Issue 3
