Enhancing search and rescue team performance: investigating factors behind social loafing

Social loafing refers to a decrease in motivation and effort between group members when working collectively compared to when working individually. This phenomenon can be a problem in many settings, including search and rescue teams. In a disaster or emergency situation, every team member needs to be at their best to save lives. However, social loafing can lead to team members slacking off, which can have serious consequences. This study aims to assess the factors influencing social loafing behavior in search and rescue teams operating in disaster and emergency situations. The study employs a hybrid approach that combines the best–worst method (BWM) and spherical fuzzy TOPSIS (SF-TOPSIS) method to evaluate whether social loafing varies across teams according nine different criteria: task, value, opportunity, fulfillment, contribution, complexity, environment, gender, and culture. The evaluation involved four specialized teams equipped for search, retrieval, and rescue operations during hazardous situations. The study identifies the team that performs the best. Notably, among the evaluation criteria, the aspect of “Fulfillment” emerged as the most significant factor for evaluating the effectiveness of rescue teams. The results of the study indicate a clear association between higher team performance and reduced instances of social loafing, highlighting the crucial role of effective team dynamics in rescue operations. These insights contribute to the optimization of search and rescue team operations, enhancing their overall efficiency and impact.