Dunbar? Chrissakes, man, prof. Dr. Robin Dunbar?!

#149guy

Ok, technically he’s the #148.3 or somesuch guy, but it’s commonly rounded to a cool #150. The rough size a group can be.
#suchanelegantnumber, right?
No.
Wrong.
When dealing with social science, the term ROUGHLY really needs to be repeated. Alot.
I know this because tyler knows this.
Math is easier.
Take Pi. 22/7. 3.14&change. But it’s precise. Or old man avagodro. 6.02x10to the23rd. Massive number, but precise. Ish.
I’m not gonna say Dunbar was completely incorrect, I’ll say he soft pedaled the edges. He’s both right with a rough number, and even more right about the concept.
#thereisanidealsizeforyourtribe
And that ideal number may very well be limited by you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar’s_number

#thepeterprincipal

Your maximum tribe may Limited by how good, or bad, you are at leading.
You
Yes, a highly motivated-think pirate ship or survivalist group- may scale higher if the stakes are high and they are at risk. But the typical tribe may top out in both size and tightness.
Because of you.
Because you are a great leader.

Or, praps because you suck. You loose your outliers. People slip both in and out of your tribe, prolly both outliers AND your core group.
Again, I know this because tyler knows this.

#tribesaremorefluidthanyouknow

Having been involved with the study of emergent (&static) tribes for several years one thing still shocks me.
The boundaries are fluid. The boundaries are limited, typically by the leadership.
Izzat you? Are you aware of YOUR tribes edges and boundaries? I’m fascinated by the edges, the gray zone. Yes, I’d love more understanding. Of what tightens a tribe. But for this morning, imabe thinking about what’s working in ours.
And what’s not.