Quote of the Day

Advocates of team science have claimed that a shift to larger teams in science and technology fulfils the essential function of solving  problems in modern society that are complex and which require interdisciplinary solutions. Although much has been demonstrated about the professional and career benefits of team size for team members, there is little evidence that supports the notion that larger teams are optimized for knowledge discovery and technological invention9. Experimental and observational research on groups reveals that individuals in large groups think and act differently—they generate fewer ideas10, recall less learned information, reject external perspectives more often and tend to neutralize each other’s viewpoints. Small and large teams may also differ in their response to the risks associated with innovation. Large teams, such as large business organizations, may focus on sure bets with large potential markets, whereas small teams that have more to gain and less to lose may undertake new, untested opportunities with the potential for high growth and failure, leading to markedly different outcomes. These possibilities led us to explore the consequences of smaller and larger teams for scientific and technological advance, and how such teams search and assemble knowledge differently.

- Full Paper, Large teams develop and small teams disrupt science and technology