How many “cooks” is too many? It depends. In a small kitchen or office, four might be the ideal number. For a company with operations the size of Walmart, the break point is much higher. For some activities, like having an engaging conversation, diminishing marginal returns sets in after a few people. For other tasks, like producing a mechanical item via assembly line, you can add just as much value with the hundredth employee as with the first. For teams, this range is considerably narrower. Athletic teams, for instance, usually consist of fifteen to thirty people. Army Ranger platoons are
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