Designing a Model for Reducing Social Loafing in Modern Technology-Oriented and Remote Work Societies and Organizations with the Approach of Improving Productivity

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the dimensions, components and indicators of social loafing, and finally, the accuracy of the identified criteria in the form of explaining an exploratory model to reduce social loafing in technology-oriented organizations familiar with remote working, in line with improving productivity. This research is considered descriptive from the point of view of applied methodology, and Was done using a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative), extracting 5 main dimensions from 16 components and 51 indicatorsIn the qualitative section, using content analysis and interviews with 20 academic and organizational experts in the field of social loafing, the data was collected. To obtain the model in the quantitative part, the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method and a questionnaire were used. The current research spanned 18 months and involved the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The statistical population in the quantitative part comprised senior experts from the Informatics Services Company, the electronic technology arm of the Central Bank of Iran. Maxqda software was used to analyze the qualitative data, and SPSS and PLS software, along with path analysis, regression, and structural equations, were used to analyze the quantitative data obtained from 96 questionnaires. The qualitative and quantitative data analysis of the research identified 5 dimensions: organization, behavior, management systems, culture, and goals/strategy. Behavioral and cultural variables were identified as mediator variables. The model resulting from the ISM analysis and the use of the Mic-Mac analysis presented a 3-level model, in which the organization dimension was the most influential, and the goals/strategy dimension was recognized as the most influential dimension. Taking advantage of the results of the exploratory model of this research can practically lead to the reduction of social loafing in technology-oriented organizations affected by remote work mechanisms, and at the same time, it can increase productivity in these organizations.