Social loafing in multidisciplinary teams

Abstract

To begin with, a couple of prior knowledge of two terms will be more explanatory for the reader. Social loafing refers to the phenomenon in which individuals tend to put forth less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone. This behavior is especially prevalent in large and heterogeneous groups, where individuals can hide their lack of effort, and the collective effort is diluted. Multidisciplinary teams, which consist of individuals from different fields and backgrounds, or cultures, are particularly susceptible to social loafing as the members may have different motivations, work ethics, and communication styles. In multidisciplinary teams, social loafing can occur when team members from different disciplines or functional areas feel that their individual contributions are not important or necessary, or when they believe that their contributions will not be recognized or valued by the rest of the team.