social loafing
Collective effort shirking
Social loafing is the tendency to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.
The phenomenon assumes individual contributions can't be easily identified or measured, so people slack off: The project suffered from social loafing—half the team let the others carry the weight.
The term comes from psychology research on group productivity.
Inaction amid witnesses
- deindividuationLoss of self-awareness in groups
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
- anonymityUnknown identity state
Failing to meet expectations
- slackingAvoiding effort deliberately
- minimal effortSmallest exertion needed
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
- performance metricsQuantifiable measures of effectiveness
accountability · deadlines · meetings · committees · brainstorming sessions · virtual teams · remote work · coasting
Applied energy toward goals
- incentiveReward encouraging action
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
engagement · recognition · feedback · intrinsic motivation · self-efficacy · commitment · initiative
Tendency to bind together
- peer pressureInfluence from one's equals
- normsExpected behavioral standards
- conformityAdherence to norms
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
interdependence · communication · roles · structure · participation · interaction · influence · status
Obligation for one's actions
- peer assessmentEquals evaluating each other
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- feedback systemsProcesses where outputs affect inputs
bystander effect
Inaction amid witnesses
- deindividuationLoss of self-awareness in groups
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
underperformance
Failing to meet expectations
- slackingAvoiding effort deliberately
- minimal effortSmallest exertion needed
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
performance metrics · accountability · deadlines · meetings · committees · brainstorming sessions · virtual teams · remote work · coasting · presenteeism
effort
Applied energy toward goals
- incentiveReward encouraging action
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
- ownershipLegal right of possession
autonomy · engagement · recognition · feedback · intrinsic motivation · self-efficacy · commitment · initiative
cohesion
Tendency to bind together
- peer pressureInfluence from one's equals
- normsExpected behavioral standards
- conformityAdherence to norms
groupthink · interdependence · communication · roles · structure · participation · interaction · influence · status · shared responsibility
accountability
Obligation for one's actions
- peer assessmentEquals evaluating each other
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- feedback systemsProcesses where outputs affect inputs
- Psychology ResearchStanford prison experiment, Pavlov's dogs, marshmallow test, classical conditioning, operant conditioning
- social psychologyconformity, attribution, groupthink, group dynamics, bystander effect
- group dynamicsgroup dynamics, cooperation, norms, conflict, in-group
- crowdscrowd, horde, mob, throng, multitude
- moochingmooch, moocher, mooching, freeloader, freeloading
social loafingpulling one's weight
Doing your fair share
overperformance · going above and beyond · maximum effort · diligence · industriousness
social loafingindividual accountability
One person bearing consequences
personal responsibility · taking initiative · ownership · stepping up · transparency
social loafinggroup cohesion
Team members' mutual bond
intrinsic motivation · engagement · dedication · diligence · industriousness
social, society, sociable, antisocial, socialize, loafing, socially, unsocial, sociability