View source for Managerial Solutions for Social Loafing

= Abstract =

It is assumed that working with others in a group has an energizing effect, motivating people to work hard. But this only occurs when collective efforts are rewarded and when people are willing to cooperate with each other. <ref name ="Gil"> Social Loafing. Gil, Francisco. (2004).  Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology, 3.</ref>
Unfortunately, what is experienced in group work can be completely different, as people are not always willing to do their best. Therefore, they inhibit themselves from making a significant contribution, while remaining unnoticed by the rest of the group. This is known as '''''Social Loafing''''', which despite having been studied for years, has recently become popular due to the need for organizations to understand ''underperformance'' and ''loss of productivity''. 

As time goes by, it is increasingly important to focus on a company's human resources, their well-being and the impact this has on a company’s performance. In recent decades, people have become more important for both human and legal reasons, even surpassing the economic benefits that any company may offer. Therefore, managers have found it necessary to strengthen their skills in the psychological field, social skills, and leadership to understand and properly manage their teams to achieve the expected performance.

Effective management is not just about achieving goals, but also about understanding and influencing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the people within the organization. <ref name="Greenberg">Greenberg, J., & Baron, R. A. (2008). Behavior in organizations: Understanding and managing the human side of work. Prentice Hall.</ref> This article will therefore focus on the importance that managers and leaders be aware of the contributing factors to Social Loafing and take proactive actions to address it in an organization. It aims to suggest effective models and tools for organizations to implement in order to create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance that supports achieving strategic goals and objectives in projects, programs, and portfolios, suggesting different models and tools for each level of management.

= Big Idea =

Social loafing has been studied for years, but it was only in the last few decades that it became relevant for managers in organizational settings. Time after the establishment of the concept with the Ringelman Effect. In 1979, Latané, Williams and Harkins proved the notion of social loafing with the saying “Many hands make light the work”, paving the way for multiple research on its causes and consequences in the organizational setting. 

They framed the concept in a way that has allowed it to be approached from a different perspective since then, which is, in part, the basis on which this article is written. They defined it as a ''"social disease"'' which has evident negative consequences in the social context. It results in a reduction in human efficiency, which leads to lowered profits and lowered benefits for all.<ref name="Latane"> Latane, B., Williams, K., & Harkins, S. (1979). Many Hands Make Light the Work: The Causes and Consequences of Social Loafing. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, *37*(6), 822–832.</ref> Thus, from a managerial perspective, anything that causes a loss of profit needs to be addressed. 

As a ''"disease"'' related mainly to groups and collective effort, it might seem easy to avoid group work as the most effective ''"cure"'', and focus on individual collaborations. However, groups are necessary because they make it possible to achieve a large number of goals that would not be possible if each person worked on their own. Collective action is a vital aspect of our lives. From time immemorial, it has made possible the construction of monuments, and today it is essential for providing even our food and shelter,<ref name="Latane" /> and develop the most recent technologies.  Therefore, the solution or "cure" must be to reorient the social dynamics in such a way that the group promotes a greater sense of individual responsibility rather than diluting it. This represents a great opportunity for managers to apply a range of strategies with great success.

Reduction of social loafing in the organization and increase of group synergy are integral objectives of human resource management, setting high requirements to the quality of managerial solutions.<ref name ="Managerial"> Managerial Solutions that Increase the Effect of Group Synergy and Reduce Social Loafing. Vveinhardt, J., & Banikonytė, J. (2017). Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, 78(1), 109–129. https://doi.org/10.1515/MOSR-2017-0019 </ref> In 2017, a new study was conducted, where the beliefs and behaviours of employees that cause or reduce loafing were analyzed. Focusing on the root cause and recurrence of these sources, they established that the opposite of Social Loafing is '''''Group Synergy''''' and how the level of involvement is key in this context. Two new effects, also supported by Gil in 2004, can then be seen to be important in the process of identifying Social Loafing and are key to the development of management strategies. '''''“Free Riding”''''', occurs when individuals who have not made appropriate contributions to the task profit from the contributions of other group members and the '''''“Sucker Effect”''''' when individuals decide to reduce their own effort and input to group performance (and hence diminish the reinforcements they could receive) instead of being ''‘‘suckers’’'' and letting themselves be exploited by ''"free riders"''. <ref name="Gil" />

Among the findings, in the 2017 study, they developed a framework that includes key action plans for managers on how to avoid Social Loafing and achieve Group Synergy in teams within organizations. Research shows that managers of organizations can be trained in how to deal with the issues of synergy in group activities. <ref name="Managerial" /> According to these studies, it is necessary to have team loyalty, to introduce clear and commonly agreed goals and a long-term perspective to highlight the team members' interdependence and future-oriented efforts, to compare their team with others to stimulate constructive competition, and to create identity by making the team visible to the members and by creating meaningful tasks that the team is proud of. 

This framework, together with the suggested ways to reduce or overcome Social Loafing in natural environments, proposed by Karau in 1993 as a result of a meta-analysis, will be the basis of this article to propose the use of different models at each level of management and thus provide a closer and more detailed guide on how managers can deal with this phenomenon by applying managerial solutions in a direct and effective way.

= Application =

=== Project Level ===

'''''Roles and Responsibilities'''''

*By assigning each team member a specific role and responsibility that matches their knowledge and experience, it is possible to ensure that everyone knows what they are responsible for and can take on their tasks. It also contributes to the personal development and fulfillment of each member, making appropriate use of their individual skills, thus ensuring commitment and dedication on the part of all, in relation to their personal interests.*

MODEL: Belbin’s Team role model

'''''Personal accountability and Goal setting'''''

*Define clear objectives and expected results for all team members. So that everyone knows what they are working on and what is expected of them, it offers the possibility of improving communication among the team, as well as greatly reducing misunderstandings and future problems due to misinformation. In addition, when objectives are clear, it is easier for the team to move forward in an efficient and synchronised way.*

MODEL: Personal Accountability Model – Mark Samuel

Research findings regarding goal setting in groups are beginning to accumulate, likely as a result of the recognition that much of the work in organizations is performed in groups (Austin & Bobko, 1985). Several studies have been conducted to establish the benefits of Goal Setting to improve Team Performance. Thus, the theory suggests that goals are associated with enhanced performance because they mobilize effort, direct attention, and encourage persistence and strategy development (Locke & Latham, 1990). Locke and Latham's conducted some studies and their qualitative review clearly concluded the existence of a positive group goal effect on group performance. But these results lack evidence so three assistant proffesors in the United States, decided to conduct a meta-analytic review 



'''''Team Development'''''

*Within an organisation the most valuable resource is people, and when working in a team, it is important to have a solid foundation in the relationships that are formed. Therefore, encouraging open communication, respect and support among team members helps to create a positive team environment that fosters collaboration and reduces the likelihood of social loafing.*

MODEL: Tuckman's stages of team development model


'''''Communication'''''

*As well as developing a strong and united team is important, communication is relevant not only for this purpose but for team members identify and address potential issues or concerns early on, before they become major problems. This can help to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts that can lead to social loafing.*

MODEL: Agile Project Management Model

'''''Decision-Making'''''

*When decision-making is effective within an organization, it can help reduce social loafing by creating a sense of responsibility and ownership of individual tasks and objectives. When group members participate in the decision-making process and provide input into the group's goals and objectives, they are more likely to feel invested in the outcome and motivated to contribute to the group's success.*

MODEL: Six Sigma Model
MODEL: The Star Model

=== Program Level ===

'''''Continuous improvement'''''
MODEL: Program management maturity model


''''' Sense of purpose'''''
MODEL: Benefits Realization Management (BRM)

=== Portfolio Level ===

'''''Monitor Performance'''''
MODEL: Balanced Scorecard Model (BSC)


'''''Prioritization'''''
MODEL: Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

= Limitations =


= Annotated Bibliography =


= References =
<references/>