What is the optimal size for online groups that use electronic communication and collaboration tools? Previous research typically suggested optimal group sizes of about 5 to 7 members, but this research predominantly examined in-person groups. Here we investigate online groups whose members communicate with each other using two electronic collaboration tools: text chat and shared editing. Unlike previous research that studied groups performing a single task, here we measure group performance using a test of collective intelligence (CI) that includes a combination of tasks specifically chosen to predict performance on a wide range of other tasks [72]. Our findings suggest that there is a curvilinear relationship between group size and performance and that the optimal group size in online groups is between 25 and 35. This, in turn, suggests that online groups may now allow more people to be productively involved in group decision-making than was possible with in-person groups in the past.

使用电子通信和协作工具的在线群组的最佳规模是多少？以前的研究通常建议最佳小组规模为 5 到 7 名成员，但这项研究主要检查面对面的小组。在这里，我们调查在线群组，其成员使用两种电子协作工具相互交流：文本聊天和共享编辑。与之前研究群体执行单一任务的研究不同，这里我们使用集体智慧 (CI) 测试来衡量群体绩效，其中包括专门选择的任务组合，以预测广泛的其他任务的绩效 [72]。我们的研究结果表明，小组规模和绩效之间存在曲线关系，在线小组的最佳小组规模在 25 到 35 之间。这反过来，