Social Loafing

Social Loafing
Social Loafing is a term that describes the tendency for people to work less hard in a group than they would by themselves. The term was coined by Moede in 1927, and was first published in a peer-reviewed journal in 1979. Social Loafing was first demonstrated by Ringelmann using a rope-pulling experiment, with a clear downward trend in effort as the number of people pulling on the rope increased.

Causes
Social Loafing may be precipitated by several factors, including the diffusion of responsibility, lack of motivation, the "sucker effect", matching of effort, and submaximal goal setting.

Diffusion of Responsibility
A decrease in accountability and the ability to disappear (intentionally or not) within a group may affect the effort practiced by each group member.

Lack of Motivation
Poor motivation can drive Social Loafing. When a goal is seen as unattainable or unimportant, members of a group tasked with attaining that goal will work less hard to achieve it.

Dispensability of Effort
The estimation of the significance of effort by a group member affects the amount of effort they apply. Specifically, when a group member feels that their effort doesn't matter, then they will be less likely to apply that effort.

The "Sucker Effect"
Attribution drives effort - in other words, a member of a group will apply less effort if they feel like someone else will get the recognition for it. Groups where people feel like they're being taking advantage of will tend to exhibit more social loafing.

Matching of Effort
Social Loafing is contagious in groups - as is its opposite, Social Facilitation. When a member of a group estimates that other group members are applying low effort, they may begin to do the same.

Submaximal Goal Setting
Estimating the amount of work required to achieve a given goal affects the amount of effort applied - especially when that estimation takes into account the work required from others.

Solutions
“when others are there to pick up the slack, people slack off” (Kassin et al. 2013).

Social loafing is less likely to occur when:
 * People believe that their own performance can be identified and evaluated by others
 * The task is important or meaningful to those performing it
 * People believe that their own efforts are necessary for a successful outcome
 * The group expects to be punished for poor performance.
 * The group is small
 * The group is cohesive. If individuals value being part of the group, they are less likely to have others take their slack.

Essentially, help people to understand that their own efforts are viewed, that their efforts are of value, and that they like being part of the group and the members.