Revision as of 14:35, 10 April 2023

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. ^[1] 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. ^[2] 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.^[3] 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,^[3] 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.^[4] 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". ^[1]

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. ^[4] 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

• NOTE FOR PEER REVIEW: From this section on, the article is still in progress. The structure is established in such a way that it presents the main idea in each step to reduce Social Loafing and with a proposed model for managers at each management level (project, program and portfolio) so the purpose of each step can be applied in a clear and effective way, and tangible results are obtained from what is proposed. The main reason for proposing a model for each step is to help reduce the limitations that the studies on this topic have, as they have been carried out mainly in non-managerial contexts and many of the solutions found are very ambiguous and do not provide a clear picture of what to do when faced with the consequences of this phenomenon.

Project Level

Roles and Responsibilities

• MAIN IDEA: 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

Accountability and Goal Setting

• MAIN IDEA: 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 synchronized way.*

• MODEL: Personal Accountability Model – Mark Samuel

Team Development

• MAIN IDEA: Within an organization 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 help 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

• MAIN IDEA: As well as developing a strong and united team is important, communication is relevant not only for this purpose but for team members to 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

• MAIN IDEA: 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

• MAIN IDEA: Continuous improvement involves a constant effort to improve the different processes, products and services within an organization. When this becomes a focus for organizations, they succeed in creating a culture that values innovation, problem solving and efficiency. And so, when it is possible to involve employees in the success of the team, they are less likely to loaf, because they are motivated to contribute their best effort, knowing that their contributions are valued and appreciated. In addition, continuous improvement efforts can help identify and address the root causes of social loafing, such as unclear expectations, lack of accountability or inadequate training.

• MODEL: Program management maturity model

Sense of purpose

• MAIN IDEA: For people, motivation is crucial when it comes to committing time and effort to a task. So when an employee fails to have a personal connection to the work they are doing, loafing is more likely to occur. This can also be interpreted as a lack of a sense that their contributions are not meaningful. However, when employees understand how their work fits into the big picture and how it helps the organization achieve its goals, they are more likely to feel they have a sense of purpose that is in synergy with their peers and the company and consequently are motivated to do their best work. In addition, a sense of purpose can help create a culture of accountability, a point that connects to goal setting as well. When employees understand how their work contributes to the success of the organization, they are more likely to take responsibility and hold themselves accountable.

• MODEL: Benefits Realization Management (BRM)

Portfolio Level

Monitor Performance

• MAIN IDEA: In any organization, performance monitoring is important to reduce social loafing, as it allows tracking both individual and team progress, identifying areas where improvement is needed and keeping employees accountable for their contributions. It can also help to identify areas where additional support or training may be needed, for example, if a team member is not performing as expected and is performing below their potential, it is possible to identify them early and provide the support needed to improve their performance by providing support rather than judgement. It can also help managers to recognize and reward high-performing employees, which can create a positive and competitive work environment. This can motivate employees to strive for excellence and thereby improve the company's performance.

• MODEL: Balanced Scorecard Model (BSC)

Prioritization

• MAIN IDEA: Within an organization, when employees are clear about their priorities, they are more likely to feel engaged and motivated, which can help reduce the likelihood of loafing. When prioritization is adopted as a strategy, employees can focus their time and energy on the most important tasks and avoid wasting time on less critical tasks. This can help reduce stress, create a better work environment, increase productivity and generally contribute to group synergy and better performance.

• MODEL: Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

Limitations

Annotated Bibliography

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Social Loafing. Gil, Francisco. (2004). Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology, 3.
2. ↑ Greenberg, J., & Baron, R. A. (2008). Behavior in organizations: Understanding and managing the human side of work. Prentice Hall.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} 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.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} 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