[gregw2]

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”

This apparently is an old African proverb coopted by the modern managerial class.

For those thinking about this issue, there are tech-specific related arguments similar to and contrary to the above. I heard the phrase from a Microsoft leader in early 2010s:

* "Heroism doesn't scale" (similar)

While I'm not sure it is completely true, there are respects in which it is deeply true (e.g. ops). It's a double-edged sword I think though; if you take the "Heroism doesn't scale" too seriously, you can suffocate out other key success drivers -- vision, innovation, motivation, design clarity/consistency, etc.

There's also (Fred) Brooks's Law (from Mythical Man Month):

* "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later." (contrary)

I.e. there are limits to how many people "going far, going together" works for fundamental communication/coordination reasons.

P.S. There are also similar debates about optimal authority/responsibility/coordination across various military cultures, e.g. search for "military command".