Do You Unknowingly Leave Your Reportees Clueless?

 

He asked his Manager, 'who will be responsible for this work?', and his Manager told him, 'Oh you all are responsible, do it together, you have to all own this.'

When this happened, what do you think was the outcome...we will see...

Social Loafing, what about this concept. Let me clarify, what it really means. When a task is given on common forum and it is told that you all have to own it, it is something common between you all, and you have to do it. It could be like making a calendar, like documenting and reporting or sending an email or anything for that matter. If you don't tell anybody specifically what is supposed to be done, then definitely there will be no particular person responsible for it. Then social loafing effect will take place. I have to do the task or another person? And everybody thinks, somebody else will do it.

It is like when an accident happens on the road, and that is a classic example of social loafing. Everybody looks at each other's face. Everybody else things that the help will be provided to the person, nobody takes ownership. 

This can happen in a setting which is quite informal like in the middle of the road and also in formal settings like office. Social loafing is a common concept which takes place in everyday life.

How can you avoid this? Yes we all can avoid this by being more specific in our instructions, by being more specific as to what is wanted from whom, it is wanted so that there is clarity among the people and the professionalism is also maintained, and at the end of the day you know whom to ask for task is not done.

So what happened to the manager who had given that task to a group of employees? Yes you guested right none of them did it as no one was accountable, and at the end of it there was no result.

Inspite of telling the manager what has happened and what he could do did he really listen? Well that's a big question and a topic for another blog.