The Ringelmann effect.

Time to Read: 3 Min

The Ringelmann effect.

Few people are aware of the Ringelmann Effect, "The Ringelmann effect" is the tendency for individual members of a group to become increasingly less productive as the size of their group increases. This effect, discovered by French agricultural engineer Maximilien Ringelmann, illustrates the inverse relationship that exists between the size of a group and the magnitude of group members’ individual contribution to the completion of a task.

While studying the relationship between process loss (i.e., reductions in performance effectiveness or efficiency) and group productivity, Ringelmann (1913) found that having group members work together on a task (e.g., pulling a rope) actually results in significantly less effort than when individual members are acting alone. Ringelmann discovered that as more and more people are added to a group, the group often becomes increasingly inefficient, ultimately violating the notion that group effort and team participation reliably leads to increased effort on behalf of the members. It is very common in business, too. Why is this happening? 

It's a downside of a 'there is no I in a team. The larger the team, the less we value individual contributions. A person feels less recognized and appreciated. Plus in a large team, there can be a bureaucracy, overly complicated decision-making process, communication channels and procedures - it takes more time to process and achieve things. Hence, a feeling of an individual accomplishment and responsibility is less evident. Less ownership and engagement. A large group is a perfect environment to hide laziness, too because no one expects a quick turnaround and result anyway. 

It is not about the size of an organization but more about the size of teams within the organization. The structures of the units and departments matter. Have to say, being small does have its disadvantages. However, forming a properly sized team for an important project is a proven technique to achieve more available to any company.  Timeless 'More is less' - something for leaders to think about.  How big is your team, and what helps you to work productively?