Group Productivity, Social Psychology of

Abstract

Group productivity refers to the degree to which working in a group context either enhances or reduces individual motivation and performance. Early research on group productivity produced mixed results, finding that groups sometimes enhance performance but sometimes reduce it. The key to resolving this paradox was the recognition of distinct forms of group work. Working on an individual task in the presence of others often facilitates dominant responses, thereby enhancing performance on simple or well-learned tasks, but reducing performance on complex or unfamiliar tasks—a phenomenon known as ‘social facilitation.’ In contrast, working together with other co-workers on a collective task often has a demotivating effect on individuals—a phenomenon known as ‘social loafing.’ Hundreds of laboratory experiments and field studies have been conducted on these interrelated phenomena, several theories have been proposed for each, and a host of situational influences and moderating variables have been identified. Thus, a coherent understanding of the effects of groups on individual motivation and performance has started to emerge.