TOEFL Speaking Task 3

The concept of 'social loafing' refers to the tendency of individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. This phenomenon occurs because people feel less personally accountable for the outcome when their individual contribution is not easily identifiable. Social loafing is more likely to occur in large groups where members believe their efforts are dispensable. Understanding this concept is important in organizational settings, as it can reduce overall productivity and motivation within teams.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example from a real workplace. Imagine a company that assigns a team of five employees to brainstorm ideas for a new marketing campaign. In one meeting, the manager asks everyone to share their ideas aloud, but no one writes down who contributed what. As the meeting goes on, two or three team members start checking their phones and only occasionally add a vague comment. They assume others will come up with the creative ideas anyway. Later, the team submits a single proposal that is quite weak—lacking originality. Interestingly, when the same employees were asked to individually submit their best campaign ideas before the group meeting, each of them produced detailed, creative proposals. So, the drop in effort during the group session clearly illustrates social loafing—because their individual contributions were hidden within the group output, they felt less motivated to work hard.