When working in a group setting, do you ever find yourself not giving your full effort to the task at hand? You might even assume the other people have it under control. This is a sign of social loafing. Here's how you can identify and avoid social loafing.
What is Social Loafing?
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com M on UnsplashSocial loafing happens when people put in less effort just because they're in a group. It's the mindset of, "Eh, someone else will pick up my slack."
Simply Psychology describes social loafing as "a phenomenon where people put in less effort in a group task due to perceived reduced accountability and shared responsibility. "
This means someone won't work as hard because they assume other people will do the work for them. However, this doesn't mean that social loafing is always intentional. Factors like unclear roles or low accountability can lead to unintentional social loafing.
Examples of Social Loafing
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on UnsplashWhat exactly does social loading look like in a group setting?
Not doing as much work in larger group projects since there are so many people.
Working less because you don't have an assigned task.
Slacking off due to being uninterested in the subject of the project.
3. Avoiding Social Loafing
You may be wondering what you can do to avoid these social loafing behaviors. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Assign roles and tasks: If everyone has a clear outline for what they are responsible for, they're more likely to feel accountable for their work.
Example: In a project, have one person assigned to research, one person assigned to writing, etc.
Have regular meetings and check-ins: Regularly discussing the project's progress will encourage people to stay on task.
Example: Everyone should agree on a day and time to have a meeting to see where everyone is at with their task.
Work in smaller groups: If possible, small groups will make slacking off less likely, since there are fewer people to hide behind.
Example: A group of 4 is less likely to struggle with social loafing compared to a group of 10.
Quiz
You're working on a group project with 9 other people. You notice some teammates aren't putting in equal effort. Which of these options could help remedy the situation?
Take Action
Have a group project coming up? Be sure not to let social loafing get in the way.
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