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 individuals feel less personally accountable for the outcome in a group setting, leading to reduced motivation. Social loafing is more common in tasks where individual contributions are not easily identifiable, and it can negatively affect group performance. Researchers have identified that task interdependence and group size can increase the likelihood of social loafing.

Professor: Let me give you an example from a company I consulted with. They had a marketing team responsible for brainstorming a new ad campaign. The team had five members, and they all sat together to generate ideas. However, after a few weeks, the manager noticed that the quality of ideas was low and that some members seemed less engaged. In fact, one junior member, Tom, usually contributed actively when he worked alone on a previous project. But in the team meetings, he often stayed quiet and let others speak. When I interviewed him, he said, 'I thought someone else would come up with a good idea, so I didn't feel I had to work too hard.' The manager then changed the approach: each member had to write down their own ideas and present them individually before group discussion. Immediately, Tom's participation and the overall number of creative ideas increased. This shows how reducing anonymity and making individual effort visible can counteract social loafing.