Prosperity and Accountability in Group Efforts

There is a hidden undertow in every business that undermines prosperity. It’s a phenomenon that creeps into all groups unless very careful attention is paid to how the group is managed. It’s known as Social Loafing. This is the natural tendency for most people to not exert themselves as hard in situations where they are working in a group.  The exertion goes down as there are more people involved in the task.

The theory is that people don’t try as hard when they feel like their efforts are reduced by other people in the group who dilute their efforts. But it also points at a more important aspect of human nature that makes perfect sense. We are wired or encoded to always attempt to reduce the energy or resources we expend.

Of course, if we were always trying to exert as much energy as possible, we wouldn’t have reserves. It’s always going to be the ones that learn to exert the smallest amount of energy that has more energy left to reproduce and proliferate. The implications for business, government and societies are profound. It means that unless there are steps taken to counteract this phenomenon, any group will develop an increasing number of parasites that exert as little as possible until the group fails. I’m afraid we are seeing this take place on a global level in Europe, the United States, and other developed countries.

Interestingly, the solution to this problem is to create competition that reaches down to the individual level. The more that each individual is held individually accountable for their performance or individual contribution, the more motivated they become and the more they produce. This is not just a theory. It is science.

So whether you run a business, a team or a family, it’s imperative that you understand the phenomenon and the solution to prevent it. Go to the prior links and read about this and think about how this applies to you or your business. It’s also an interesting thing to think about in relation to your choices for the country as it moves forward on its journey. Are the laws, benefits, and structure making us more accountable or making it easier for people to live off the system without being accountable. So as you seek more prosperity, learn to manage the Social Loafing tendency and create more of what you want.

Sincerely,

Kris Stecker

President Spa Tech Institute Schools of Polarity Therapy, Massage Therapy, Cosmetology, and Aesthetics.

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