In a group activity, some individuals may tend to put less effort into accomplishing the task. This tendency to put forth less effort in a group task is described as social loafing (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2019). All members of a group are expected to pool their effort to accomplish a collective task. The presence of other group members leads to some individuals contributing less than they would if they were to perform the task individually (Cherry, 2020). Social loafing is common in higher education contexts where learners are expected to complete a project and assessed as a group.
In my first year in college, our professor gave out a group assignment that required us to work in groups. The professor required that we submit the completed group assignment in a couple of days. Each group comprised of 8 students, and we were required to decide on when we would work on the assignment. My group members and I decided that we would meet after classes to start on the task. However, three of the group members did not turn up for the group discussion. We were unable to complete the assignment that day and scheduled another group meeting for the next day. Two of the three members turned up late for the meeting, yet they had been informed earlier in the day about the meeting time. They made minimal contributions during the group discussion. The other member did not turn up in both meetings. We completed the assignment and submitted, but only five of the 8 group members worked on the assignment.
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In this scenario, the three group members depicted social loafing. The possible explanation for the social loafing would be the diffusion of responsibility. The three students may have felt that even without their presence, the rest of the group members would complete the assignment. There was no personal accountability for each member since the assignment would be completed in a group. There are several ways through which social loafing can be reduced. First, would be creation of smaller groups and sharing the task among the group members would establish individual accountability (Milinga, Kibonde, Mallya, & Mwakifuna, 2019). The individual members would, therefore, be more likely to participate in the group task.
Secondly, establishing group rules and define tasks as a group would ensure that each member participates in the group activity. An evaluation of individual progress in completing the assigned task would encourage the productivity of the individual members (Aggarwal, & O'Brien, 2008). Also, encouraging teamwork and team loyalty would go a long way in motivating individual members to participate in the assigned group task actively.
References
Aggarwal, P., & O'Brien, C. L. (2008). Social loafing on group projects: Structural antecedents and effect on student satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Education , 30 (3), 255-264.
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Cherry, K. (2020). How Social Loafing Explains Why We Do Less When We're in a Group. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-social-loafing-2795883
Milinga, J. R., Kibonde, E. A., Mallya, V. P., & Mwakifuna, M. A. (2019). Group-Based Assignments: Member Reactions to Social Loafers. REMIE-Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research , 9 (1).
