I NFORMATION T ECHNOLOGY AND S OCIAL L OAFING : A Q UALITATIVE I NVESTIGATION Research - in - Progress

While ICT-supported teams are increasingly popular, most suffer from a phenomenon called social loafing (SL). SL is the tendency to withhold one’s effort when working with others. Past research has examined various determinants and mechanisms of SL but the relationships between IT and SL have remained largely unexplored. Our objectives are to identify the key factors that play a role in SL in ICT-supported groups and to investigate how IT can influence SL. Drawing from the literature and on the basis of seven case studies, we identified four categories of factors related to personal, group, context and type of task. We will conduct additional cases to advance our theory development on the influence of IT on SL. The implications for research are important since this study will provide a better understanding of the determinants of SL and the role IT can play in influencing such behaviors in teams and organizations.