Is Siemens too big? Which companies are too big to fail? This Thinkpiece looks at manageability, the overlooked disadvantages of size, analyzes the underlying assumptions and restraints, and asks whether big really is better. Most importantly, suggestions are made on the limitation of size.

Many people think the financial crisis, Fukushima and the many Wutbürger (angry citizens) movements spreading all over the world are symptoms of a deep systemic problem. Protestors who also reject the too-big-to-fail argument follow in the footsteps of Leopold Kohr (born 1909 near Salzburg − died 1994 in Gloucester, England) Austrian philosopher, professor of economics, and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize in 1983. Kohr was founder of the small-is-beautiful movement and his views on life and society are remarkably well-suited for the 21st Century.