In this blog post, based on the characteristics of “selfish humans,” let’s examine the causes of free-riding in college group projects and discuss possible solutions—and, furthermore, explore why we should live righteously.

The Cruel Reality of Group Projects and the Problem of Free-Riding

Whether you’ve experienced it firsthand or not, group projects are a well-known source of hardship in college life. Group projects were originally intended to foster a sense of cooperation and responsibility as members worked together—so when did they become such a source of frustration? It’s because, in group projects—where reaching a consensus and working together are crucial—there are students who don’t participate much, commonly referred to as “free-riders.” As a result, unfortunate situations arise where students who worked hard on the project don’t receive good grades, or where students are forced to take on others’ work just to get a good grade. There’s even a joke going around that what students actually learn from group projects isn’t teamwork, but hatred toward others. The phenomenon of free-riding—trying to coast on the efforts of others—is a problem that must be addressed, as it harms not only the free-riders themselves but also the other group members. So, how can we prevent free-riding and ensure the best possible group dynamics? And let’s also discuss whether we need to live our lives with integrity.

“Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles”—what are the causes of free-riding?

If we understand why people free-ride on group projects, we can use that insight to solve the problem. There are two main reasons to consider. The first is the bystander effect. The bystander effect refers to the tendency for people to be less likely to help someone in distress when there are many others around. This is also related to the diffusion of responsibility, where responsibility is spread among multiple people. Applied to group projects, this means that the more group members there are, the more likely each individual is to think, “Someone else will do the hard work; I don’t necessarily have to take it on myself.” This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in situations where an individual’s contribution, effort, performance, and level of participation are not clearly reflected in the final outcome of the project. In this context, it also explains the phenomenon of “social loafing,” in which individual effort decreases as the size of the group increases.
Second, this can be understood not so much as the “tragedy of the commons” but rather as a free-rider problem or an issue of collective action. The tragedy of the commons refers to a phenomenon in which multiple people who share a common resource overuse it for their own benefit, ultimately causing harm to everyone. However, the phenomenon observed in group projects is closer to a free-rider problem—where individuals seek to benefit from others’ efforts without bearing the associated costs—rather than the depletion of a shared resource. This can be easily understood by looking at the following example. I live with a friend, and to get through the hot summer, I want to install an air conditioner. To buy a 2 million won air conditioner, we would each need to contribute 1 million won, but to save money, I say I don’t think I need one and refuse to pay my share. It seemed like a good deal—if my friend bought the air conditioner, I could enjoy the cool breeze without paying a dime—but my friend also decided not to buy one for the same reason. In the end, my friend and I had to struggle through the sweltering summer without being able to blame anyone. By the same principle, people end up free-riding on group projects—reaping the benefit of good grades without putting in the effort themselves.

What is the best solution to prevent free-riding?

The bystander effect and social loafing are related to the mindset that “someone else will do it even if I don’t” and situations where one’s contribution and effort aren’t clearly visible. This can be resolved by clearly assigning roles to group members from the very start of the project, ensuring there is no overlap. In other words, instead of saying, “Let’s all research this topic together,” use an approach like, “You’ll research the problem, you’ll research the causes, and I’ll research the solutions.” If each group member is assigned a distinct role, it becomes difficult to expect that another member will step in to do your part if you fail to fulfill your role. Furthermore, my negligence will directly harm the entire group, and all group members will be aware of this fact. Therefore, I believe the likelihood of free-riding will decrease. Conversely, when a student actively participates in a group project, their role and contributions are clearly evident, increasing the likelihood that their efforts will be fairly recognized.
As for the second cause—the free-riding problem—it can be resolved by establishing a clear distinction between those who actively participate in group assignments and those who do not. One reason free-riding occurs in group assignments is that even if I don’t work hard, as long as other group members do, everyone in the group can still receive the same grade. Therefore, this issue can be resolved by evaluating not only the group as a whole but also each individual member, even though it is a group project. By rewarding group members who work hard on the project, their future participation is further encouraged, while penalizing those who do not participate helps prevent them from causing harm to the rest of the group. Another approach is to introduce midterm evaluations rather than assessing students solely based on the final group project. In these interim evaluations, group members directly assess each other’s contribution, effort, performance, and participation, assigning grades such as A or B. Group members who receive high scores will likely continue to work hard, knowing that maintaining this effort will lead to a good final grade, while those who receive low scores will strive to make up for it by working diligently on the remaining assignments. The final grade for each group member is determined by combining the midterm evaluation score with the grade the professor assigns to the final group project.
Combining these two methods can serve as an effective way to prevent free-riding. As soon as the group project begins, tasks should be assigned to each individual in a way that is specific yet does not overlap with other group members’ assignments. Then, by introducing a midterm evaluation where group members evaluate each other directly, students are encouraged to remain diligent in their group work. Now, all group members can harmoniously earn an A+ and enjoy a happy break.

Furthermore, is there a reason why people should live righteously?

Let’s first explore how the methods for preventing free-riding can lead to a reason for living righteously. This becomes easier to understand by applying the principle of “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” If we view the methods for preventing free-riding not from the group leader’s perspective but from the free-rider’s perspective, these methods lead to reasons why I should not free-ride. Ultimately, this leads to the conclusion that one should not free-ride—that is, one must live righteously.
As I argued above regarding the need to prevent free-riding, “one must live righteously” is my view. Humans are selfish creatures and therefore always act in their own self-interest. Ultimately, even living righteously has the self as its ultimate goal. At first glance, living with a clear conscience and acting honestly might seem like a loss, but I do not see it that way. On the contrary, living righteously increases the likelihood that I will achieve my goals. I actually experienced this firsthand in my Science and Technology Writing class. The first instance was during the research proposal presentation, when two members of my group were supposed to present, but everyone else was putting it off—so I volunteered to present. Although I had to stay up all night before the presentation to prepare and ended up dozing off during the first class the next day, failing to pay proper attention, my presentation meant that when other groups presented later, my group members took turns critiquing their work, allowing me to listen comfortably. In the end, it benefited me. The second instance was when I took full responsibility for writing our essay discussion paper. Again, I had to stay up late to finish my assignment, but thanks to me, our group’s discussion concluded successfully, and afterward, my group members expressed their deep gratitude and said they would give me a high score in the mutual participation evaluation. In this case as well, it seemed like a loss at first, but it ultimately turned into a greater benefit for me.
Although choosing to live righteously resulted in a small loss, it ultimately led to a greater benefit. This applies not only to me but also to the organizations and society of which I am a part. Therefore, living righteously means moving in a direction that increases the total sum of benefits for everyone, including oneself. Ultimately, this is how we can find the justification for why we must all live righteously.

“Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth”: Why We Must Live Righteously, Beyond the Free-Rider Problem

Group projects were created with the expectation that collective effort would yield greater results than the simple sum of individual efforts; however, the mindset of “It doesn’t matter if I don’t participate” is actually causing the group to produce worse results than individuals working alone. In reality, though, if it weren’t for this free-riding, group projects have many positive aspects, as they allow individuals to accomplish tasks they couldn’t do on their own with the help of peers. Therefore, rather than blindly viewing group projects negatively, we should find ways to address the problems and steer them in a positive direction. First, the causes of free-riding included the “bystander effect,” “social loafing,” and the “free-riding problem”—the tendency to benefit from others’ efforts. Based on these causes, the effective solutions identified were the fair distribution of tasks and the introduction of mid-term evaluations where group members assess one another.
Next, I discussed the most important topic: the necessity of living righteously. We are all selfish people who act in our own self-interest; therefore, it might seem reasonable to pursue immediate gains rather than live righteously. However, it is precisely because we are selfish that we must live righteously. In other words, even if it seems like a small loss at first, it will eventually return to us as a greater benefit. Therefore, we concluded that we must live righteously in order to move toward increasing the total amount of benefit. At this point, I cited my own experience with group projects as an example.
In this way, by effectively preventing the free-rider phenomenon—which appears in college group projects and, more broadly, in various social organizations—as well as the irrational situations caused by some people failing to live righteously, we must create a just society and just organizations where both organizational members and members of society work together and achieve happiness together.