Do small teams actually get more done ?

Something I’ve been thinking about recently.

People always say small teams move faster. Fewer meetings, less process, quicker decisions.

But I’m starting to wonder if the real advantage is just… fewer opinions.

On bigger teams, every decision seems to turn into a mini discussion. Not even big strategy stuff, sometimes small things. Tools, approaches, priorities, even how something should be structured.

Everyone has reasonable points, which is exactly why the conversation stretches longer than the decision deserves.

On very small teams it feels different. Sometimes someone just says “let’s try this” and you move.

Half the time it’s not even the perfect choice, but you learn faster because something actually shipped.

So now I’m wondering if small teams aren’t faster because they’re smarter… they’re faster because less alignment is required to move.

Curious how others see this.

If you’ve worked in both small and larger teams, did you actually feel more productive in one vs the other?

Or did the differences come from something else entirely?