Why two diggers can't dig a hole twice as fast: the Ringelmann effect

At the very beginning of the 20th century, the French scientist Maximilian Ringelmann conducted a series of experiments in the field of human labor efficiency, as a result of which he came to several interesting conclusions at once. Today, the professor's conclusion is called the Ringelmann effect. What is its essence and why humanity cannot overcome this effect?

Maximilian Ringelmann conducted experiments in the field of labor productivity. The scientist worked with people of different ages and professions. The most revealing was his experiment with weights. First, Ringelmann asked people to lift different weights to determine what each of them was capable of, after which he made focus groups. On average, the participants were able to lift up to 80 kg.

Thus, Maximilian Ringelmann logically assumed that two people should be able to lift a load of 160 kg. However, this did not happen and not one of the focus groups coped with the task: two people could not lift double the weight. Further calculations showed that as soon as people start working together, their efficiency rate drops to 93%. The subsequent increase in the number of employees engaged in one thing continues to reduce the indicator of individual efficiency.

This feature was called the "Ringelmann effect" and was repeatedly proven by subsequent experiments of the professor, as well as his followers. People cannot overcome the “threshold of decline”. This phenomenon is explained by two things. Firstly, when several people are engaged in one business, various ergonomic and logistical issues begin to arise in the workflow. Secondly, a purely psychological aspect works: when a person understands that he has someone to rely on, he does not give all his best.

The key “paradox” is that an increase in the number of people in most cases leads to an increase in labor efficiency, and not to its decrease. This is because two employees with 93% efficiency will still give a total efficiency of 186%, instead of 100% efficiency of one person. Thus, two diggers will not dig a hole twice as fast, but they can still do it one and a half times faster than one digger.