Team Size, Dispersion, and Social Loafing in Technology-Supported Teams: A Perspective on the Theory of Moral Disengagement

Omar A. Alnuaimi, Lionel P. Robert, Likoebe M. Maruping
2010 Journal of Management Information Systems  
Social loafing is the tendency of individuals to withhold contributions to a task in a team setting. team size and dispersion are two primary drivers of social loafing in technology-supported team settings. However, the mechanisms through which 204 alNuaIMI, rObErt, aND MaruPINg these drivers affect social loafing are not well understood. Consequently, the objective of this study is to identify the cognitive mechanisms that mediate the effect of team size and dispersion on social loafing in
more » ... nology-supported teams. Drawing on the theory of moral disengagement, we posit that three primary cognitive mechanismsdiffusion of responsibility, attribution of blame, and dehumanization-will mediate the effect of team size and dispersion on social loafing. We conducted a laboratory study involving 140 students randomly assigned to 32 teams performing a brainstorming task using group systems software. the results show that diffusion of responsibility, attribution of blame, and dehumanization all mediate (partially) the effects of team size on social loafing. Meanwhile, only dehumanization mediates (fully) the effect of dispersion on social loafing.
doi:10.2753/mis0742-1222270109 fatcat:yzfqxcd2urcqjdwl3rz7okyyfe