Ringelmann effect: what it is and how it affects group performance

A tendency to invest less effort in a task the larger the group involved.

When people are faced with tasks that require the sum of efforts of each team member to achieve a group goal, there is a tendency to expend less effort as the size of the group increases. This is known as the Ringelmann Effectand arises when the individual effort is confused among those of the group of people who collaborate with each other.

In this article we will learn about the origin of this effect, why it occurs and how it can be combated.

Ringelmann effect: origin

The Ringelmann Effect is a phenomenon of social psychology and group psychology, proposed by Maximilien Ringelmann(1861-1931), a French engineer. M. Ringelmann developed a series of studies between 1882 and 1887, in which he observed the action of pulling a rope, both individually and in groups of two, three and eight people.

Specifically, his studies were aimed at finding out the efficiency in agricultural tasks, where he observed that when a group of people pull a rope, which is tied to an instrument that measures the traction force, the larger the group of people, the lower the force that each individual used to pull the rope..

Thus, he observed that the relative performance of each person individually decreased progressively as the number of them in each group increased. In other words, the individual contribution decreased proportionally as the number of people collaborating in the action increased. collaborating in the action. Maximilien called this phenomenon the Ringelmann Effect.

In 1913 Max Ringelmann's research was published. They showed that group or collective effort in teams is only half of the sum of individual efforts, contrary to the common belief that "unity is strength".In these studies, it was shown that the group or collective effort in teams is only half of the sum of individual efforts, contrary to the common belief that "unity is strength".

Characteristics

The Ringelmann Effect is defined as the loss of performance per subject as the size of the group increases (the number of its members increases). This effect is also known as free riding or "striving for nothing". It arises because one's own contribution is seen as dispensable.

Steiner was an author who proposed that the nature of the task predicts the performance of the group.. In this case, the Ringelmann Effect appears in three types of tasks:

1. additive tasks.

These are tasks that imply that the greater the number of people, the greater the potential performance or productivity. In this type of tasks the group output is equal to the sum of the contributions of each person.

In this case, the Ringelmann Effect appears because members think (consciously or unconsciously) that the work "will be done by others. the work "will be done by others"..

2. Disjunctive tasks

In this type of task, the best option is selected and group performance is determined by the performance of the most competent member. is determined by the performance of the most competent.

Here the Ringelmann Effect appears in the less skilled subjects, since being a type of task where the best option is selected as the "winner", these members would feel that they are not good enough to propose anything (since they will not be selected), and therefore they stop participating or decrease their effort.

3. Conjunctive tasks

Here all members of the group work at the same time, in unison. In this case, the Ringelmann Effect appears in large group conjunctive tasks, specifically in very skilled subjects, since when acting all at the same time, the most skilled "relax" and reduce their performance, which they consider dispensable.

Other types of group tasks

There are two other types of group tasks:

• CompensatoryCompensatory: the result is the average of the group members.
• Discretionary: it involves deciding between the different proposals of the members.

Causes

The Ringelmann Effect appears due to possible causes.

On the one hand, it is likely that team members may feel less motivated when performing additive tasks (where the final result is determined by each person's performance), since (where the final result is determined by the performance of each person), since they unconsciously think "others will do it".

On the other hand, it is possible that individual performance is reduced by a lack of coordination among group members.

Thus, in group experiments in social psychology, it has been observed how people believe or feel that they are being evaluated only when they act alone.

In this way, team situations or tasks diminish individual responsibility, since people do not take direct responsibility for the results. people do not hold themselves directly responsible for the results, and therefore do not evaluate the results.Therefore, they do not evaluate their own efforts, causing them to reduce or even eliminate them.

How to combat its effect on teams?

To combat the Ringelmann Effect it is important to increase the motivation of the team members.. To do this, it is advisable to make their individual performance identifiable, that is, to make them feel that they are "important parts" of the group, essential parts to achieve the desired group result or objective.

If the members feel this way, and if they can concretely identify their individual contribution, it is very likely that they will put more effort into the group task.

Bibliographical references:

• Morales, J. F. (2007). Psicología Social. Editorial: S.A. McGraw-Hill/ Interamericana España.
• Hogg, M. (2010). Social psychology. VAUGHAN GRAHAM M. PANAMERICANA, Editorial: Panamericana.
• Marin, M. (2012). Psicología social de los procesos grupales. Pirámide.