The case studies presented in Week 3's chapters were very interesting. From the Herrites to Airwalk to Gore's company approach - all interesting thought provoking.
Of most interest to me was the 150 Rule. Working with youth there is a strong desire to help as many as possible in one setting. I've bemoaned times when our work as left us with smaller groups yet was thrilled by the power of the small group and its impact. It is now evident to me what happened in those small groups when set against the large (150+) groups - they tipped.
Luc Hoebeke, in his seminal "Making work systems better", argues that management groups larger than about 200 almost always become corrupt and/or dysfunctional. The rationale is essentially the same as the 150 rule: this is about the number of people that one can get to know and trust and interact with.