Free-Riding in Group Projects: Control Mechanisms and Preliminary Data

The article discusses the causes of free-riding in group activities and reviews the empirical literature, then makes 15 recommendations for reducing free-riding by students in academic marketing group projects. The recommendations are based on a review of empirical work in the fields of free-riding and social loafing. The authors also offer preliminary data on student perceptions regarding the effectiveness of six techniques for reducing free-riding: (1) group cohesiveness (group self-selection), (2) group size, (3) unilateral expulsion of teammates, (4) unilateral withdrawal from the group, (5) instructor discussion of the free-riding problem, and (6) evaluation of teammates.