2008 Woodie Awards
Group Work:
Are you a social loafer? Psych prof explains why many hate group work
Casey Curlin
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Campus News
All college students are familiar with slackers who do nothing to earn their grades during group projects.
These people don't show up to group meetings, complete their portion of the work poorly, if at all, and receive the same grade as the rest of the group members who did their part. This behavior is known as social loafing.
"Social loafing is just the tendency for people to do less when completing a task together," said Brian Johnson, UTM Psychology instructor.
Johnson said people are able to become more relaxed within a group because they are less identifiable and therefore less motivated to carry their weight of the project.
He also noted that the expectations and leadership of the rest of the group members shape how much effort an individual will put into the assignment. Fortunately, social loafing is a treatable condition, but it requires work from both the students in the group and the professor.
"Instead of letting things slide, make people accountable in the beginning," Johnson said.
He added that group members must set group norms, outline standards from the beginning to keep each other accountable, and set express punishments for not meeting those standards. He suggested setting a number of group meetings that members are allowed to miss and clarifying that missing more than the allowed number will result in a report to the professor about the behavior of the member.
A similar punishment could be set for other indiscretions, such as a member failing to complete an assigned portion of the project. Johnson noted group norms sometimes involve being unforgiving.
"It might be as simple as: 'That's OK but it's going to impact how I rate you in the group'. It might seem harsh but in the workplace other people will have to pick up the slack," Johnson said.
Professors in turn should also take a few things into consideration when assigning group work. Johnson said professors should try to make assignments meaningful and identifiable.
He suggested assigning group work topics that students are more likely to use in real life or their future careers.
"It shouldn't just matter to the professor. Ask what they would like to produce and make it so they feel 'This matters to me'," Johnson said.
To make students identifiable and to increase participation, professors should require weekly updates from groups to determine if each student is doing his or her part in the work.
He also noted that smaller groups are more cohesive and the group members are more likely to get along. Also, the more complex a project is, the more it will require every person's involvement and social loafing will not be as much of an issue.
"Unfortunately, too many group assignments are simple tasks," Johnson said.
Johnson believes social loafing is a common occurrence. Though he does not personally like working in groups, he does assign group work because it is such an essential skill in the workplace.
"In the workplace, that person that's not doing their fair share, they get fired," Johnson said.
Check out this Pacer graphic: Group Work
These people don't show up to group meetings, complete their portion of the work poorly, if at all, and receive the same grade as the rest of the group members who did their part. This behavior is known as social loafing.
"Social loafing is just the tendency for people to do less when completing a task together," said Brian Johnson, UTM Psychology instructor.
Johnson said people are able to become more relaxed within a group because they are less identifiable and therefore less motivated to carry their weight of the project.
He also noted that the expectations and leadership of the rest of the group members shape how much effort an individual will put into the assignment. Fortunately, social loafing is a treatable condition, but it requires work from both the students in the group and the professor.
"Instead of letting things slide, make people accountable in the beginning," Johnson said.
He added that group members must set group norms, outline standards from the beginning to keep each other accountable, and set express punishments for not meeting those standards. He suggested setting a number of group meetings that members are allowed to miss and clarifying that missing more than the allowed number will result in a report to the professor about the behavior of the member.
A similar punishment could be set for other indiscretions, such as a member failing to complete an assigned portion of the project. Johnson noted group norms sometimes involve being unforgiving.
"It might be as simple as: 'That's OK but it's going to impact how I rate you in the group'. It might seem harsh but in the workplace other people will have to pick up the slack," Johnson said.
Professors in turn should also take a few things into consideration when assigning group work. Johnson said professors should try to make assignments meaningful and identifiable.
He suggested assigning group work topics that students are more likely to use in real life or their future careers.
"It shouldn't just matter to the professor. Ask what they would like to produce and make it so they feel 'This matters to me'," Johnson said.
To make students identifiable and to increase participation, professors should require weekly updates from groups to determine if each student is doing his or her part in the work.
He also noted that smaller groups are more cohesive and the group members are more likely to get along. Also, the more complex a project is, the more it will require every person's involvement and social loafing will not be as much of an issue.
"Unfortunately, too many group assignments are simple tasks," Johnson said.
Johnson believes social loafing is a common occurrence. Though he does not personally like working in groups, he does assign group work because it is such an essential skill in the workplace.
"In the workplace, that person that's not doing their fair share, they get fired," Johnson said.
Check out this Pacer graphic: Group Work
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