Stop Social Loafing: 6 Ways to Get Everyone Working

Did you know that 1 + 1 + 1 does not always equal 3?  You would think that the more people on a project, the greater the output.  Sadly, that’s not always the case.  A phenomenon called Social Loafing leads some team members to do the minimum possible.  They drag down group productivity like a boat anchor.  Today we’ll look at why social loafing happens, and six ways you can be sure to get the best effort from everyone.

Notes and Resources:

Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:  Stop Social Loafing: 6 Ways to Get Everyone WorkingHere’s the original article about Max Ringleman’s findings. Social loafing is the tendency for people to exert less effort when they are part of a group than when they are by themselves.For how to harness social pressures to build a higher-performing group, check out Secrets of Social Facilitation:  Putting the Audience to WorkReasons for social loafing can relate to group size, goal achievability, goal value, goal low-balling, skill differential within the group, and the “Sucker Effect.”
 

Quotable: 

“The larger the group, the greater the tendency to slack off.”  - Ken Downer

“Good leaders do their best to prevent a competition for ‘who’s best at doing the least.’”  - Ken Downer

“Potential ‘loafers’ will be more likely to contribute if they believe they will be found out.”  - Ken Downer

“Peers may be in the best position to assess who’s pulling their weight.”  - Ken Downer

Related posts: 

SMART Goals: How to be SMART about Goal-Setting

They Do This in Church, Too? 9 Ways Getting Constructive Feedback is a Game-Changer

How to Get Kicked Out of Leadership School: The Spotlight Leader

Stay connected with Rapidstart Leadership

Visit the site at https://www.rapidstartleadership.com/ Tweet us at @RapidStartLdr Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rapidstartleadership Subscribe to the Leadership Updates Newsletter Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening, and Lead On!