Bystander effect, groupthink, herd mentality, diffusion of responsibility

Various factors affect individual and group/team performance. 

• Social facilitation: improved performance in front of an audience
• Social loafing: doing less work as part of a group
• Hawthorne effect or observer effect: changes in behavior when being watched
• Group polarization: taking more extreme viewpoints as a group than individually
• Groupthink: making worse decisions as a group by trying to avoid conflict
• Bystander effect: individuals are less likely to take action in the presence of others
• Diffusion of responsibility: not responding to events when others are around
• Mob mentality: doing things while anonymous that one wouldn't do if identifiable

source: https://www.sketchy.com/mcat-lessons/group-psychology

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

source: widely quoted

If you want help, single out an individual from the crowd, make eye contact, and directly ask for assistance instead of making a general plea to the group.

source: How to Overcome the Bystander Effect

If you are in the crowd:

1. Be aware and curious of your surroundings
2. Determine to respond when you see something that needs to be done
3. Find one way to help
4. Help in that way
5. Repeat steps 1-4

More well known is the OODA loop (TWOTW).

1. Observe
2. Orient
3. Decide
4. Act

Most of the examples of the bystander effect I found are related to emergencies or crimes (major and minor). These effects, however, are ubiquitous. So many tasks are bypassed for no greater reason than that we are too self-absorbed to notice that item that should be picked up. Or that, if noticed, we assume no responsibility because we think it's someone else's job to do. Certainly, there are legitimate reasons to leave a task undone, such as time restrictions or high risk. Be a Nobody and do what Anybody could have done.