I read these posts about the old days and the new days and everything under the sun. My question is simple: given todays crime and law enforcement landscape, should success be measured in the size of the organization or the ability to operate under the radar?

Obviously their activities should be how you measure their success.

Better quality! Have few moneymaker is better that have dozen of brokesters.
Today is better induct few trusted men and enlarge the numbers of associates maybe making alliance with other oc gruops.

Quantity, because at the end of the day, if the Families don't have enough personnel to replace jailed, dying, and dead members, then ultimately, they die out and go extinct. They should tighten up on protocol though.

In other words, a major prosecution can wipe a small LCN Family out, same with a major attack from another criminal organization, although that's less likely to happen. One reason the 5 Families are still around, along with a few others, is that they were always able to replace personnel taken out by RICO.

Why there are so rat? Because there are few members that are a true cosa nostra men!
Today a rat can made more damage that in the past because to avoid prison another manvwill rat but if you put on quality and people that dont fear long sentences its better.
The mob isnt a street gang that need thousand members because between the most part was caught selling drugs at a corner,killed in a drive by shoot etc
The mob is most white collar and for this they need brain.
For the small families;out east coast Cleveland,pittsburgh are defunct because the bosses doesnt make new blood if if they can.
The east cosst family doesnt risk nothing.

To create a good, solid, viable organization takes a little bit of everything. Quantity. Quality, and Diversity!

Like former Bonanno boss Joe Massino once said to an underling (before turning rat, that is), as I quote, "It takes a lot of ingredients to make a good sauce."

You need a large enough membership that you can hold your weight out there "on the street" against competing crews.
You need enough sharp and smart members who have a knack for seeing and creating new streams of revenue, in both illicit rackets, and legit business penetration alike.
You need enough strong-arms and tough guys who can protect the organization's assets and members from vouchers and malcontents.
You need enough strong "core" inducted membership to steer the ship, and by extension, enough viable "associates" worthy of raising up into the future ranks of the borgata.
You need enough "money" guys who can invest and "bankroll" various operations as the need arises.
You need enough "savvy" low-key, and "thinking" leaders to navigate treacherous waters, and protect those "less-capable" thinkers from tripping over their own feet.
Etc., Etc., Etc.

And most important, and not to be taken likely...You need "luck!" Without a bit of luck, it doesn't matter if you have all those other things I mentioned. Without luck, you're out of luck!

Awesome responses! Thanks!