Social Loafing Definition

With all groups that exist there are certain problems that arise and need to be taken care of. One of the more prominent problems is the fact that some team members willingly take the initiative to complete their portion of the project, while other team members assume a more lackadaisical approach. This type of behavior can be referred to social loafing. However it is imperative to understand that there are internal and external factors as to why a particular group member may seem apathetic while working. This makes it crucial to hold all judgments regarding a so-called slacker until all the information is gathered and analyzed.

It is vital to have an understanding of the person who seems to be partaking in social loafing within a group, as there may be some unknown internal factors that are causing the misunderstanding. Referring to Organizational behavior by Nancy Langton, Things such as role …show more content…
The accuracy of the definition of social loafing is undeniable. There have been many instances where I have been a part of a group where members were not performing up to par, or so I thought. After doing further research I have genuinely come to realize that in many cases there may have been internal or external factors that were affecting the performance of my peers, and I most likely never have stopped to consider any of them. I feel this stemmed from a concern of the dependability I placed in members. My initial thought before forming a group was I will try to do to most of the work myself; mainly because of the lack of trust I had in-group members. I believed that the other members will not perform at the level they should be at to get the best grade possible. However, now it seems unfair to have come up with shortsighted conclusions, and will attempt to keep more of an open mind while dealing with any group I am apart