Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2015

The Role of Communication and Cohesion in Reducing Social Loafing in Group Projects

Chris Lam

Abstract

This study examines previously untested variables that influence social loafing in professional and technical communication group projects by determining the influence of communication quality and task cohesion on social loafing. A set-up factors model, which included group size, peer review, project scope, and method of team formation, was also tested for means of comparison. The results indicated the communication quality and task cohesion model significantly reduced social loafing, explaining 53% of the variance in social loafing. The model of set-up factors only explained about 4% of the variance. The article discusses instructional strategies that foster quality communication to reduce loafing.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2015-12-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490615596417
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Topics
multimodality technical communication revision

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Phan (2025)
    Business Communication Research: Trends and Themes From Dual Bibliometric Analysis
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Sharma et al. (2025)
    A Decade of <i>Business and Professional Communication Quarterly</i…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Lam et al. (2021)
    Follow the Leader? The Impact of Leader Rapport Management on Social Loafing
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Moreau (2020)
    Teams That Innovate: The Language of Difference-Driven Inquiry at the Workplace
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Virtue (2017)
    Increasing Student Interaction in Technical Writing Courses in Online Environments
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (3)

  1. Lam (2013)
    The Efficacy of Text Messaging to Improve Social Connectedness and Team Attitud…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Blakeslee (2001)
    Bridging the Workplace and the Academy: Teaching Professional Genres through Cl…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Scott (1995)
    Collaborative Projects in Technical Communication Classes: A Survey of Student …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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