Team Identification Reduces Social Loafing and Promotes Social Laboring in Cycling

The purpose was to examine if heightened team identification reduced social loafing and promoted
social laboring in 1 and 3 minute cycling time-trials with participants alone and then in either salient or
non-salient teams. Salient teams were created using 30 minutes of team building activities prior to their
team time trials. Social loafing occurred in both team trials in the non-salient teams (P < .05). In the
salient teams, social loafing was eliminated in the 1 minute team trial and social laboring was apparent
in the 3 minute team trial (P < .05). Heightened team identification therefore reduced social loafing and
significantly enhanced team performance.