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People often lament that design by committee doesn’t work. They say we need small groups of people, sometimes a single decider to make progress. But we know this to be false. Good decisions are made from a diversity of input, which cannot be achieved with small groups.

Quite often people compare the worst versions of committees to the best versions of autocratic systems. The problem is that autocratic systems don’t work when there is no ability to wield power over everyone else.

In tech, this means that open source projects can only sustain autocratic as long as it remains effectively democratic. It’s rare for a project to be supported entirely by paid contributors, and voluntary contributors who feel like their voice isn’t heard walk away.

The actual problem people encounter is rather straightforward: committees lack cohesion. When there’s no shared identity and understanding, then individualism takes over. People sabotage others so they can win. They’ll take advantage of those who wish to compromise.