Leadership, teams & operations · law 094
Price's Law
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
what it means
In any group, roughly the square root of the number of people produce half of the output.
How Price's Law works
In a team of 100, about 10 people may produce half the work; in a team of 10, about 3. As organisations grow, output concentrates in a shrinking share of people.
For leaders, it highlights the outsized value of top performers — and the risk when they leave.
where it comes from
Physicist and historian of science Derek J. de Solla Price proposed it in his 1963 book Little Science, Big Science, studying scientific publishing.
Price's Law examples in business
Sales
In a 25-person sales team, five people close half the revenue.
Content
A handful of contributors write most of a community's useful posts.
Software
A few engineers commit most of the critical code.
How to apply it
- 1Identify your highest-output people.
- 2Protect and retain them actively.
- 3Learn what makes them productive and share it.
- 4Reduce key-person risk with documentation and backup.
common misreading
It is an empirical pattern from research output, not a precise law for every team — and output isn't the only form of value.
ask yourself
If your top three performers left, how much of your output would go with them?
put it into practice
Frequently asked questions
What is Price's Law?
In any group, roughly the square root of the number of people produce half of the output. In a team of 100, about 10 people may produce half the work; in a team of 10, about 3. As organisations grow, output concentrates in a shrinking share of people.
Who came up with Price's Law?
Physicist and historian of science Derek J. de Solla Price proposed it in his 1963 book Little Science, Big Science, studying scientific publishing.
How do you apply Price's Law in business?
1. Identify your highest-output people. 2. Protect and retain them actively. 3. Learn what makes them productive and share it. 4. Reduce key-person risk with documentation and backup.
What is a common misunderstanding of Price's Law?
It is an empirical pattern from research output, not a precise law for every team — and output isn't the only form of value.