Social loafing

Social loafing occurs when a person contributes less effort to a group task than he or she would when working on the same task alone. For example, research has shown that two people pulling on one rope together often exert less total strain on the rope than a combination of their individual efforts. The “team” atmosphere actually may tempt individuals to decrease their efforts rather than work harder. Social loafing can be especially problematic for organizations that rely heavily on group efforts in the workplace. People tend to loaf during group work when individual accountability for their efforts is low or when they think other group members might already be loafing. When individual accountability is low, supervisors and other group members have a difficult time judging how hard any particular group member may be working, perhaps because efforts are all pooled together. When the chances of getting caught loafing are low, people can engage in social loafing without tremendous risk of negative consequences. People also tend to loaf when they suspect other group members are slacking. Hesitant to become the “sucker” who works harder than other group members, people may decrease their own efforts to a level perceived as comparable to the other social loafers in the group. In either case, individuals are considered “free riders” if they contribute less than the other group members yet share equally in the group’s rewards for the work. On occasion, group members engage in social compensation, which involves taking on extra work in order to offset the negative effects of social loafing. People who are highly committed to a project tend to compensate for others because they wish to see a successful result. In addition, sometimes others will compensate for a group member who appears to lack the skills or ability to contribute equally to the group project. Rather than rely solely on social compensation, organizations can take straightforward steps to decrease social loafing. First, when individual contributions can be identified and evaluated by a supervisor or other group members, even if a formal evaluation never takes place, social loafing tends to decrease. It appears that evaluation apprehension, or nervousness over the possibility that one’s efforts could be judged, helps motivate group members to contribute equally. Second, when tasks are made important both to the individual and to the group, social loafing decreases. People tend to work harder when they have a personal stake in achieving a successful outcome. Finally, social loafing decreases for members of tightly knit groups. Not surprisingly, people generally are willing to work harder for groups that they like. Organizations tend to assign group work because they assume that a group will be more productive than will a host of individuals working alone. Typically they expect that the positive effects of social facilitation in group settings will lead to better results. Taking steps to decrease social loafing is critical to ensuring that group efforts truly are worth more than the sum of individual contributions.
See also INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY; SOCIAL FACILITATION.