Frustration? Stress? Social Loafing
Frustration--Social Loafing
I am pretty certain that I am not the only person who might had frustrations from dealing with "loafers" at school or work or any environment requiring group effort. Recently, someone asked me about how if my work is stressful or how it is in general. My answer would be more or less similar each response--I would iterate that I really love the work, and it tends to be stress-free most of the times. I also tell them the source of stress is rarely from the work itself, but sometimes from the "social loafing" I see within. Or, considering who I am makes it more difficult to deal with situations where I see people who try to take free ride or benefit from the group while putting less effort in.
It's not difficult to see why people would exert less effort when they are being evaluated as a group than each individual. One of the classmates back in college very clearly answered this question in a counter-question form: "Why would one person sacrifice to put forth all the effort and take all the responsibility for the entire group when all they get in return is dissipated reward at most?" Hence, diffusion of responsibility makes more sense in group setting.
I think this may have been the reason why I preferred individual tasks more than the group projects. It is inevitable that there will be disproportionate amount of responsibilities and workload delegated to each individual in the group for everyone is different in their own ways. There may be a "loafer" in the group (and there always have been as far as all my own experience can relate to). This makes me think of the seesaw structure where one side takes all the burden.
But, would it be possible to develop immunity to the stress and frustration that I get from spotting those loafers at work? Should I just accept that as part of normal social life? Or is it just a natural phenomenon? Does it not necessarily stem from laziness? Well, I think this phenomenon has been in existence forever, and I know I am not going to be (or try my best and pray hard not to be) the type of person who takes advantage of the situation. I will try my best to focus on individual performance and not let outside factors affect how I perform or what I believe in. It would be great to get full return for all the effort I put in, but unfortunately it is not the case. I may not get full compensation; I might only get 30% in return of what I think I deserve to get... but I am certain that the effort and work I put in are not just lost in the thin air. I believe is stored within myself and may manifest itself in a different form at a different situation.
It's not difficult to see why people would exert less effort when they are being evaluated as a group than each individual. One of the classmates back in college very clearly answered this question in a counter-question form: "Why would one person sacrifice to put forth all the effort and take all the responsibility for the entire group when all they get in return is dissipated reward at most?" Hence, diffusion of responsibility makes more sense in group setting.
I think this may have been the reason why I preferred individual tasks more than the group projects. It is inevitable that there will be disproportionate amount of responsibilities and workload delegated to each individual in the group for everyone is different in their own ways. There may be a "loafer" in the group (and there always have been as far as all my own experience can relate to). This makes me think of the seesaw structure where one side takes all the burden.
But, would it be possible to develop immunity to the stress and frustration that I get from spotting those loafers at work? Should I just accept that as part of normal social life? Or is it just a natural phenomenon? Does it not necessarily stem from laziness? Well, I think this phenomenon has been in existence forever, and I know I am not going to be (or try my best and pray hard not to be) the type of person who takes advantage of the situation. I will try my best to focus on individual performance and not let outside factors affect how I perform or what I believe in. It would be great to get full return for all the effort I put in, but unfortunately it is not the case. I may not get full compensation; I might only get 30% in return of what I think I deserve to get... but I am certain that the effort and work I put in are not just lost in the thin air. I believe is stored within myself and may manifest itself in a different form at a different situation.
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