Nermina is preparing to implement teams in their functional area. Currently, she is studying team creation. In her past experience, she often found that groups of people did less work than one or two individuals could. Two weeks later, Nermina is well into the process of creating teams. She is ensuring that the correct resources, both human and material, are available for the team. How could Nermina have prevented the problem?
Social Studies · High School · Tue Nov 03 2020
Answered on
Nermina's past experience reflects an occurrence of a phenomenon known as "social loafing," where individuals in a group or team may put in less effort than they would when working alone. To prevent this problem while implementing teams in her functional area, Nermina could take several steps:
1. Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities: Ensure that each team member knows what is expected of them. This can help prevent overlap in responsibilities and ensure that each member is accountable for specific tasks.
2. Set Specific, Measurable Goals: Teams should have clear objectives that they are working towards. These should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.
3. Build a Cohesive Team: Encourage team-building activities that enhance compatibility and understanding among team members. This can help build a sense of camaraderie and collective responsibility.
4. Use Group Evaluations and Individual Assessments:Create a system of group evaluations combined with individual assessments so that contributions can be recognized and lack of effort can be identified.
5. Ensure Fair Work Distribution:Monitor and adjust workloads to ensure that team members are contributing equally and that some are not carrying the burden for others.
6. Encourage Open Communication:Teams should feel comfortable discussing any issues or concerns and provide regular feedback to each other. This can help resolve any potential disparities in work effort.
7. Implement a Reward System: Recognize both team achievements and individual contributions. A system that rewards real contributions can motivate team members to work harder.
By addressing these factors, Nermina can establish a team environment that minimizes social loafing and maximizes collective productivity.