--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more people are involved in a given…" description: "\"The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do anything, and the greater the transaction costs..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png" --- # The more people are involved in a given task, the more… ![“The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do anything, and the greater the transaction costs.” quote by Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png) > “The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do anything, and the greater the transaction costs.” [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. More participants increase negotiation needs and raise transaction costs, making coordination harder. **In simple terms:** More people = more agreements needed. Key Takeaway Simplify coordination structures. Themes economics organization technology Mood strategic practical Type analytical practical When to use this quote - project management - online platforms - team meetings Key Concepts transaction cost economics collective action network theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we reduce coordination overhead? - When is it better to limit participants? A Different Perspective Complex tasks may become unmanageable despite many contributors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) [Agreements Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreements-need-673982/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Need Negotiated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-negotiated-3273566/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Negotiated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiated-619027/) [Negotiated Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiated-greater-3273565/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Potential Agreements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potential-agreements-3273567/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Transactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transactions/) ## Related quotes > [Words and prayers are powerful agreements, and you need to see what kind you are using every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/words-and-prayers-are-powerful-agreements-and-you-need-to-see-what/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [Business deals are successfully negotiated every day throughout America. The common thread is a mutual desire to reach an accord. And the media business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-smith/business-deals-are-successfully-negotiated-every-day-throughout/) [Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-smith/) > [I negotiated the proper timing and other things having to do with one of our other debates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-negotiated-the-proper-timing-and-other-things-having-to-do-with-one/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The terms of peace may be negotiated by political leaders, but the fate of peace is up to each of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-terms-of-peace-may-be-negotiated-by-political-leaders-but-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ I was against it \[Trans-Pacific Partnership\] once , it was finally negotiated and the terms were laid out. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-was-against-it-trans-pacific-partnership-once-it-was-finally/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Peace may be negotiated by politicians, but it is something written in hearts and minds not on pieces of paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/peace-may-be-negotiated-by-politicians-but-it-is-something-written-in/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [There is no formula to relationships. They have to be negotiated in loving ways, with room for both parties, what they want and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/there-is-no-formula-to-relationships-they-have-to-be-negotiated-in-2/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Our experience has taught us that with goodwill a negotiated solution can be found for even the most profound problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/our-experience-has-taught-us-that-with-goodwill-a-negotiated-solution/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Those who don't trust you before the explanation won't trust you even after the explanation.. Trust can't be negotiated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-kaushik/those-who-don-t-trust-you-before-the-explanation-won-t-trust-you-even/) [Chanda Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-kaushik/) > [Every single line on the Oscar show is negotiated. Unless you've been there, you have no idea how it is put together. It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-vilanch/every-single-line-on-the-oscar-show-is-negotiated-unless-you-ve-been/) [Bruce Vilanch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-vilanch/) > [ The facts are - I did say I hoped it \[Trans-Pacific Partnership\] would be a good deal, but when it was negotiated which I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-facts-are-i-did-say-i-hoped-it-trans-pacific-partnership-would-be/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [No issue can be negotiated unless you first have the clout to compel negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/no-issue-can-be-negotiated-unless-you-first-have-the-clout-to-compel/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [“This is preliminary. Things can be negotiated.” Daniel answered without giving me a real answer. Lawyers and their double talk. “Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolah-lace/this-is-preliminary-things-can-be-negotiated-daniel-answered-without/) [Lolah Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolah-lace/) > [Finally, my manager negotiated a deal where I got to produce my own records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/finally-my-manager-negotiated-a-deal-where-i-got-to-produce-my-own/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [Relationships are negotiated and if you deal with ultimatums and authority all the time, then you're not going to get anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/relationships-are-negotiated-and-if-you-deal-with-ultimatums-and/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) ## More by Clay Shirky > [ “\[N\]ew technology enables new kinds of group-forming.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/n-ew-technology-enables-new-kinds-of-group-forming/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [To have a discussion about the plusses and minuses of various forms of group action, though, is going to require discussing the current tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/to-have-a-discussion-about-the-plusses-and-minuses-of-various-forms/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [“Mass amateurization of publishing makes mass amateurization of filtering a forced move.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/mass-amateurization-of-publishing-makes-mass-amateurization-of/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [“Information sharing produces shared awareness among the participants, and collaborative production relies on shared creation, but collective action creates shared responsibility, by tying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/information-sharing-produces-shared-awareness-among-the-participants/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [More interesting than thinking about what's possible in 10 years is thinking what's possible now but that no one has built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/more-interesting-than-thinking-about-what-s-possible-in-10-years-is/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [“Digital networks are increasing the fluidity of all media. 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They want to improve even the lives of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/civic-participants-don-t-aim-to-make-life-better-merely-for-members/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [I would not hesitate to say I was addicted to the Internet in the first two years. It can be addictive, and things not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/i-would-not-hesitate-to-say-i-was-addicted-to-the-internet-in-the/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [Bureaucracies temporarily suspend the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In a bureaucracy, it's easier to make a process more complex than to make it simpler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/bureaucracies-temporarily-suspend-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-in/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [The more ideas there are in circulation, the more ideas there are for any individual to disagree with. More media always means more arguing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-ideas-there-are-in-circulation-the-more-ideas-there-are-for/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) [Explore all 132 Clay Shirky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) ## More Agreement quotes > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There's no way to have a peace agreement unless the mediator or negotiator looks at both sides from an equal basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/there-s-no-way-to-have-a-peace-agreement-unless-the-mediator-or/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-coming-to-that-agreement-my-party-had-a-clear-philosophy/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [Identity is not negotiable. An identity you have achieved by agreement is always a prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-john-harrison/identity-is-not-negotiable-an-identity-you-have-achieved-by-agreement/) [M. John Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-john-harrison/) > [I am formally accountable to the steering board of the PIC, and I meet with nine ambassadors from the PIC every week. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [Because countries often have differing political and economic systems, agreements are needed to protect those invested in trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/because-countries-often-have-differing-political-and-economic-systems/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [We recognize that NAFTA is a three-country agreement, and we need a three-country negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/we-recognize-that-nafta-is-a-three-country-agreement-and-we-need-a/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [At Ohio State University, to avoid being guilty of 'sexual assault' or 'sexual violence,' you and your partner now apparently have to agree on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/at-ohio-state-university-to-avoid-being-guilty-of-sexual-assault-or/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Whatever you perceive, you always make a story with yourself as the main character, and that dictates your life. 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This was going to result in Iran getting 50 billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/netanyahu-made-all-sorts-of-claims-this-was-going-to-be-a-terrible/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 1,138 Agreement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do anything, and the greater the transaction costs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clay Shirky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given-task-the-more-potential/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agreement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given-task-the-more-potential/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/clay-shirky-3364_agreement_the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given_1966141.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do…” — Clay Shirky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Clay Shirky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The more people are involved in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given-task-the-more-potential/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-people-are-involved-in-a-given-task-the-more-potential/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```