Gerald Murphy is a manager at Wright & Wayner, a publishing house which is a very employee-friendly company. The demarcation between managers and subordinates is flexible and the nature of these reporting relationships is flexible and informal. Gerald recently assigned five of eight of his subordinates to work on a new publication project with a fairly tight deadline because he believed that these efficient employees would function even better with each other's support. A week before the deadline, however, Gerald realized that the group had been shirking work as each of the members thought that the project was not just his/her responsibility. Additionally, under the guise of working together, the team was actually doing their personal work, surfing the Internet, or just socializing. This scenario reflects ________.
A) reflexive goal-setting
B) high process gains
C) jobsharing
D) gainsharing
E) social loafing

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scenario reflects social loafing, which is the phenomenon where individuals reduce their effort when working in a group. The group members believed the project was not just their responsibility, so they shirked work and engaged in personal activities, indicating a lack of individual accountability and effort.

Gerald Murphy Is a Manager at Wright & Wayner, a Publishing