Span of Control

Biological Parallel

Wolf packs average 5-10 members because alpha pairs cannot track and coordinate more individuals effectively—this is Dunbar's number for wolves. Larger packs fragment into subgroups with competing hierarchies, reducing hunting efficiency. Similarly, human working memory limits (7±2 items) and relationship tracking capacity (Dunbar's 150) create natural management spans. When organizations exceed these cognitive ceilings, they require hierarchical layering, just as large baboon troops (50+) develop complex multi-level coalitions the alpha can no longer directly control.