3-6 sounds like a good rule of thumb. Research that I have seen hints that people who were in I shaped teams (i.e. single person reporting to a manager) and V

3-6 sounds like a good rule of thumb. Research that I have seen hints that people who were in I shaped teams (i.e. single person reporting to a manager) and V shaped teams (2 people reporting to a manager) were much unhappier than larger teams. Similarly, somewhere close to 10 is when the there is just not enough 'managing' or mentorship happening. I have seen that work only in cases where most of the ICs are senior/staff level and are effectively self-managing.