SOCIAL LOAFING (RINGELMANN EFFECT)

Decrease in individual effort in large groups.

The phenomenon of social loafing, originally identified as the Ringelmann Effect, describes the tendency of individuals to decrease their personal effort when working in a group compared to when working alone.

As group size increases, the average individual contribution declines.

This is due to a loss of motivation and coordination, where the subject feels that his or her contribution is less visible or dispensable.

Imagine a group of people helping to push a stuck truck. If there are only two people pushing, both will exert 100% of their strength.

But if you add ten more people, it is very likely that several individuals will unconsciously reduce their push, thinking that "with so many people, my strength doesn't make a difference."

In sports, this is seen in a rugby scrum or in a zone defense in soccer, where a player may press less intensely trusting that his teammates will cover the space, thus diluting collective responsibility.

Strategies to increase individual accountability and visibility

Social loafing increases under specific conditions: when individual performance is not measured, when the task is perceived as not meaningful, or when the athlete believes his peers are more capable.

To combat it, it is essential to implement strategies that increase the "identifiability" of the effort. One effective strategy is the use of monitoring technology.

If real-time heart rate monitors projected on a screen are used in endurance training for a field field hockey team, social loafing disappears.

The player knows that his effort (or lack thereof) is visible to the coach and his teammates through objective data. He can no longer "hide" in the group.

In addition, assigning specific and crucial roles to each member ("you are responsible for blocking the shooter") increases the perception that his contribution is indispensable, which keeps individual motivation hig