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 make less effort as the size of the group increases. This is known as the Ringelmann Effect , and it arises when individual effort is confused among those in the group of people who collaborate with each other.

In this article we will know 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 of individuals and of groups of two, three and eight people.

Specifically, his studies were aimed at finding out the effectiveness of 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 less force each individual uses to pull .

Thus, it noted that the relative performance of each individual person progressively decreased as the number of persons in each group increased. That is, the individual contribution was reduced proportionally to the increase in the number of people collaborating in the action. Maximilien called this phenomenon the Ringelmann Effect.

In 1913 Max Ringelmann’s research was published. In them it was demonstrated that the group or collective effort in the teams , does not reach but half of the sum of the individual efforts, contrary to the common belief that “the union makes the force”.

Characteristics

The Ringelmann Effect is defined as the loss of performance per subject as the group size increases (the number of members increases). This effect is also known as free riding or “straining for nothing”. It appears because one sees one’s contribution 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 those tasks that imply that the greater the number of people, the greater the potential performance or productivity. In this type of tasks the group result is equal to the sum of the contributions of each person.

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

2. Disjunctive tasks

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

Here the Ringelmann Effect appears in the unskilled subjects, since being a type of task where the best option is selected as “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 the members of the group work at the same time, in unison . In this case, the Ringelmann Effect appears in conjunctive tasks of large groups, specifically in very skilled subjects, since by acting all at once, the most skilled “relax” and decrease their performance, which they consider dispensable.

Other group tasks

There are two more types of group tasks:

  • Compensatory : the result is the average of the group members.
  • Discretionary : implies 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 the members of a team may feel less motivated when developing additive tasks (where the final result is determined by the execution of each person), since they unconsciously think “others will do it already”.

On the other hand, individual performance may be reduced by a lack of coordination among group members.

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

In this way, team situations or tasks decrease individual responsibility, since people do not take direct responsibility for the results , and therefore 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 team members . To do so, it is advisable to make their individual performance identifiable, that is, to make them feel “important pieces” of the group, essential pieces to achieve the desired group result or objective.

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

Bibliographic references:

  • Morales, J. F. (2007). Social Psychology. Editorial: S.A. McGraw-Hill/ Interamericana España.
  • Hogg, M. (2010). Social psychology. VAUGHAN GRAHAM M. PANAMERICANA, Editorial: Panamericana.
  • Marin, M. (2012). Social psychology of group processes. Pyramid.