The Effect of Changing Size Upon the Internal Structure of Organizations

EVER since Plato observed that 5040 was a desirable number of people for a civic population, social thinkers have been speculating about the possible effect of the size of a social grouping upon the relations therein. Although few have developed their observations to the level of theory or have undertaken research in this area, a number of sociologists have made statements which are of interest. The effect of quantity is implicit in the GemeinschaftGesellschaft formulation of Toennies, in the comments of Durkheim concerning his concept of anomie, and in the explorations of bureaucracy by Max Weber. Davis notes that undoubtedly the character of the group tends to change with its size . . .,' 1 and Williams says that even in a structurally simple group . . . the addition of members rapidly produces changes in the internal organization.2 It is the opinion of Bierstedt that as social interaction is intensified by increase in size of population, so do the different kinds of relationships increase. 3 Coyle makes the specific statement that structural form is itself affected by the number of those involved. The addition of new units in the process transforms it not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. 4