Do instant messaging interruptions help or hinder knowledge workers’ task performance?

The modern workplace environment is filled with interruptions due to the necessity of coworkers to communicate with each other. Studies have revealed that interruptions can impact task performance (TP). Communication interruptions are due, in part, to the unavoidable side-effect of using technology to facilitate these interactions. This experimental case study reports about an investigation we conducted on the role of instant messaging interruptions (IMI) and its implications on knowledge workers’ TP in a workplace environment. We have gathered data from knowledge workers engaged in an e-learning activity. The case study included a total of 60 experimental observations and analysis of the 120 records revealed that the time to complete a task (TPtct) for certain types of tasks, was significantly affected by IMI. This case study addressed gaps in IM interruption research and practical knowledge about the role of instant messages in the organization. Previous research has been conducted in a laboratory environment with interruptions generated by means other than actual IM. This case study used IMI with participants working in their normal workplace. Findings were used to provide a set of lessons learned recommendations for managers when it comes to the use of IM in the workplace.     

Investigating the impact of IT-mediated information interruption on emotional exhaustion in the workplace

Information technology-mediated interruptions have become widespread and ubiquitous in the workplace. However, our understanding of how these interruptions and individuals’ interruption processing mechanism impact individuals’ performance, especially psychological performance, is still limited. Leveraging Conservation of Resources Theory, this study focused on two types of IT-mediated information interruptions (congruent and incongruent) and examined the moderating effects of different process mechanisms on the relationship between information interruptions and individuals’ interruption overload. A multi-methods research design was conducted in this study: a qualitative study with 20 interviews in Study 1 and a quantitative study with 345 surveys in Study 2. The results show a positive indirect effect of IT-mediated information interruption on emotional exhaustion through interruption overload. Results also review the moderation effects of different processing mechanisms. The findings of this study advance the current understanding of the “dark side” of online information behavior. Additionally, this study provides practical and theoretical implications for both employers and employees on how to process IT-mediated information interruptions in the workplace.     

Exploiting technological opportunities: the timing of collaborations

High-technology companies that discover new technological opportunities face two critical decisions: whether and when to collaborate in exploiting these opportunities. Prior research has examined factors such as transaction costs that determine whether firms decide to collaborate. In this study, we aim to understand when firms collaborate in exploiting opportunities. To this end we study the history of 86 biopharmaceutical product-development projects. We find that factors that reduce articulation and appropriation uncertainties in these projects—patent protection, high R&D intensity of the discoverer, partners’ prior collaboration experience, and support infrastructures in the industry—can speed up collaboration. Interestingly, project-specific factors do not seem to affect timing.     

From closed to open: Job role changes,individual predispositions,and the adoption of commercial open source software development

When trying to attain the benefits of open source software (OSS), proprietary closed source software (PCSS) firms are struggling to adopt this radically different practice of software development. We approach these adoption challenges as a problem of gaining support for organizational innovation. Through a mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative interviews and a survey of employees of a large telecommunications firm, we find that the organizational innovation to commercially engage in OSS has different impacts on technical and administrative dimensions of different job roles. Accordingly, individuals enacting different job roles are—on average—more or less well aligned with the OSS practice and OSS processes per se. We find that individual-level attributes can counterbalance the job role changes that weaken support for adopting OSS, while perceived organizational commitment has no effect. Suggestions for PCSS firms are presented and implications for innovation literature are discussed.     

Research collaboration and research output: A longitudinal study of 65 biomedical scientists in a New Zealand university

Collaborative research has been increasingly celebrated by the science community, but the hypothesized positive relationship between research collaboration and research output is more assumed than rigorously tested. In this paper, we identify three methodological gaps in the literature: (a) hierarchical coding based on the ISI Web of Science database causes severe loss of information on local collaboration, (b) the relationship between research collaboration and research output is likely to be confounded by a common latent variable such as a scientist's ability, and (c) the lack of longitudinal analysis prevents causal inferences from being made. To address these methodological concerns, we constructed a longitudinal dataset of 65 biomedical scientists at a New Zealand university and coded collaboration variables by hand checking each of their publications in a period of 14 years. We found that at article level, both within-university collaboration and international collaboration are positively related to an article's quality and that, at scientist-year level, only international collaboration is positively related to a scientist's future research output.     

Manager communication and workplace trust: Understanding manager and employee perceptions in the e-world

Today's business environment is populated with individuals who are digitally connected to clients, contractors, managers, and employees. Traditionally, the ways and behaviors of managers had developed and thrived within face-to-face work environments, but as computer-mediated technologies continue to change the boundaries of the business community, permit alternative worksites to increase, and the traditional workday to disappear, the role of the manager has changed. This article focuses on the communication behaviors between managers and their employees, and how these behaviors have changed as digital communication methods have become mainstream within organizations today. The variables of interest are manager communication and workplace trust. The intended outcome is to uncover the expectations that have yet to be agreed upon within the manager–employee e-relationship.     

中国与瑞典专利技术合作研究

国际科技合作是促进国内技术创新的重要路径,而国际专利合作申请是国 际科技合作的重要体现。本文选择瑞典的优势产业技术领域,基于 1988年至2017 年瑞典、中国申请及合作申请的 PCT 专利和 EPO 专利,对专利申请及合作趋势 进行分析。剖析了我国企业与瑞典在专利技术创新方面的差距及在专利合作中存 在的问题,以期为我国企业更好地开展对瑞典科技与经济合作提供参考。尤其是 在中美经贸关系紧张背景下,探讨与关键性小国的合作对我国深化对外科技合作 战略、推动企业技术创新具有重要意义。     

Debunking the instant messaging myth?

Instant messaging is a beneficial tool in the workplace that aids communication and decision-making, yet it’s widely accepted that productivity suffers due to frequent interruptions. Previous research conducted with surveys and atypical IM interactions support such claims; however, prior research demonstrated with a systematic study and behavioral measures that IM-ing is not detrimental to quality and timeliness of work. The current study expands the research literature by examining the effects of frequent IM-ing on productivity, quality of work, and time on-task in a laboratory setting. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and independent samples t-tests for group and IM type. Data demonstrated little performance differences between those who received IMs and those who did not. This research appears to suggest that IM-ing has some impact on overall task completion time but IM-ers productivity time was faster. Therefore, it may be more harmful to resort to the commonly held notion that all off-task behavior equates negative effects and unproductive employees. Future directions for researchers and managers are discussed.     

The paradox of openness: Appropriability,external search and collaboration

To innovate, firms often need to draw from, and collaborate with, a large number of actors from outside their organization. At the same time, firms need also to be focused on capturing the returns from their innovative ideas. This gives rise to a paradox of openness—the creation of innovations often requires openness, but the commercialization of innovations requires protection. Based on econometric analysis of data from a UK innovation survey, we find a concave relationship between firms’ breadth of external search and formal collaboration for innovation, and the strength of the firms’ appropriability strategies. We show that this concave relationship is stronger for breadth of formal collaboration than for external search. There is also partial evidence suggesting that the relationship is less pronounced for both external search and formal collaboration if firms do not draw ideas from or collaborate with competitors. We explore the implications of these findings for the literature on open innovation and innovation strategy.     

Browsing is a collaborative process

Interfaces to databases have traditionally been designed as single-user systems that hide other users and their activity. This paper aims to show that collaboration is an important aspect of searching online information retrieval (IR) systems that requires explicit computerised support. A number of systems offering varied approaches to supporting collaboration are surveyed and a structure for analysing the various aspects of collaboration is applied. The dominant form of collaboration in digital libraries is likely to be remote and asynchronous. Collaborative work in the digital library requires that both the search product and the search process can be captured and communicated. The ARIADNE system is introduced as an example of computerised support for collaboration between browsers.     

高科技生物制药行业PPP合作中信任与合作效果的关系研究——环境不确定性和合作方行为不确定性的调节作用

公私合作(PPP)被认为是通过公共部门和私人部门合作来提升公共服务水平的重要模式.在PPP合作中,信任作为一种重要的合作关系规范,直接影响到合作效果,同时合作方所面临的环境不确定性和合作方行为的不确定性这两方面的外在因素会对信任-合作效果之间的关系起到相应的调节作用.在此理论假设的基础上,对中国背景下高科技生物制药行业PPP合作进行实证研究,研究表明,合作方之间的信任确实会增强合作效果,然而外部环境的不确定性会弱化信任-合作效果之间的正向关系,合作伙伴方行为的不确定性会强化信任-合作效果之间的正向关系.     

基于“良序科学”理想对“CEPC-SPPC之争”的讨论

基切尔认为,树立于温和实在论基础之上的科学形象才是实际的,这也是将科学民主化的认识论依据;与此同时,布朗论述了将科学民主化的政治学依据。这两个依据是旨在为科学实践治理提供标准的“良序科学”理想得以建构的重要前提。“良序科学”理想要求“理想慎思过程”贯穿于科学的资助、具体的研究内容及研究成果转化的全过程,以此确保民主力量能始终发挥作用。基于“良序科学”理论来看,最近爆发的中国是否应该建造“环形正负电子对撞机和超级质子对撞机（CEPC-SPPC）”的争论至少反映出了当前中国科学实践及其治理存在的三个显著问题：1）中国科学实践的“治理”方面存在观念性障碍;2）治理主体未能充分认识到科学实践治理的民主模式及其多样性和具体性;3）治理主体未能辨明科普的双重目的：“理解”与“参与”。若要解决这些问题,下述的思路或许可供参考：1）思想观念方面强化认识科学实践时的整体论思维;2）理论研究方面引入普遍语用学的维度;3）制度设计方面重视科学实践治理的正义原则。     

Scientists’ collaboration strategies: implications for scientific and technical human capital

“Scientific and technical human capital” (S&T human capital) has been defined as the sum of researchers’ professional network ties and their technical skills and resources [Int. J. Technol. Manage. 22 (7-8) (2001) 636]. Our study focuses on one particular means by which scientists acquire and deploy S&T human capital, research collaboration. We examine data from 451 scientists and engineers at academic research centers in the United States. The chief focus is on scientists’ collaboration choices and strategies. Since we are particularly interested in S&T human capital, we pay special attention to strategies that involve mentoring graduate students and junior faculty and to collaborating with women. We also examine collaboration “cosmopolitanism,” the extent to which scientists collaborate with those around them (one’s research group, one’s university) as opposed to those more distant in geography or institutional setting (other universities, researchers in industry, researchers in other nations). Our findings indicate that those who pursue a “mentor” collaboration strategy are likely to be tenured; to collaborate with women; and to have a favorable view about industry and research on industrial applications. Regarding the number of reported collaborators, those who have larger grants have more collaborators. With respect to the percentage of female collaborators, we found, not surprisingly, that female scientists have a somewhat higher percentage (36%) of female collaborators, than males have (24%). There are great differences, however, according to rank, with non-tenure track females having 84% of their collaborations with females. Regarding collaboration cosmopolitanism, we find that most researchers are not particularly cosmopolitan in their selection of collaborators—they tend to work with the people in their own work group. More cosmopolitan collaborators tend have large grants. A major policy implication is that there is great variance in the extent to which collaborations seem to enhance or generate S&T human capital. Not all collaborations are equal with respect to their “public goods” implications.     

Coevolution of job automation risk and workplace governance

This paper analyses the interplay between the allocation of authority within firms and workers’ exposure to automation risk. We propose an evolutionary model to study the complementary fit of job design and workplace governance as resulting from the adoption of worker voice institutions, in particular employee representation (ER). Two organizational conventions are likely to emerge in our framework: in one, workplace governance is based on ER and job designs have low automation risk; in the other, ER is absent and workers are involved in automation-prone production tasks. Using data from a large sample of European workers, we document that automation risk is negatively associated with the presence of ER, consistently with our theoretical framework. Our analysis helps to rationalize the historical experience of Nordic countries, where simultaneous experimentation with codetermination rights and job enrichment programmes has taken place. Policy debates about the consequences of automation on labour organization should avoid technological determinism and devote more attention to socio-institutional factors shaping the future of work.     

科技全球化背景下大数据研究合作网络的可视化分析

旨在揭示大数据研究中国家和机构间的合作模式和网络结构,发现主要参与国家和机构的主导地位,并利用科学地图来可视化这些合作特征.在了解大数据领域全球论文产出概况的基础上,应用网络特征指标分析大数据研究合作网络的结构特征及演化规律、主要国家与机构在合作网络中的地位及其作用,并通过VOSviewer软件以科学叠加图(overlay map)的形式对结果进行可视化.研究发现:全球大数据研究以国内合作尤其是机构内合作为主,国家和机构间合作的比重较低,随着时间推移,国际合作网络规模不断扩大,并逐渐向多元主导模式转变;中国、美国和英国在国际合作网络中占据核心地位、发挥桥梁作用;中国作者在国际合作网络中的主导性较高,中国科学院、德克萨斯大学和清华大学是最为活跃的参与机构.     

Projects and firms as discordant complements: organisational learning in the Munich software ecology

In current theorising, projects and firms are understood as “learning organisations”. Although the learning function can be regarded as constituent for both organisational forms, the specific learning mechanisms are connected with opposing features (e.g. long-term, trustful collaboration versus short cyclical, disruptive collaboration). Referring to the first results of qualitative research conducted on the Munich software cluster, this paper aims to explore the functional interplay between projects and firms with regard to organisational learning. The main thesis is that processes of improvement, failure eradication and knowledge accumulation are more likely to take place in firms whereas processes of structural change are more likely to be organised in a project. In complementing one another these functions, however, also generate inconsistencies like contravening learning incentives or contingency traps. Therefore, projects and firms may be regarded as “discordant complements”.     

Do your friends make you smarter?: An analysis of social strategies in online information seeking

Prior research in the social search space has focused on the informational benefits of collaborating with others during web and workplace information seeking. However, social interactions, especially during complex tasks, can have cognitive benefits as well. Our goal in this paper is to document the methods and outcomes of using social resources to help with exploratory search tasks. We used a talk-aloud protocol and video capture to explore the actions of eight subjects as they completed two “Google-hard” search tasks. Task questions were alternated between a Social and Non-Social Condition. The Social Condition restricted participants to use only social resources—search engines were not allowed. The Non-Social Condition permitted normal web-based information sources, but restricted the use of social tools.     

Impelling research productivity and impact through collaboration: a scientometric case study of knowledge management

A case study for impelling university research productivity and impact through collaboration is presented. Scientometric results support the hypothesis that a knowledge management model increased research collaboration and thereby boosted a university’s number of publications and citations. Results come from fifteen years of data at a Mexican university with 2400 researchers who produced 24,000 works in fifteen research disciplines. These data are treated with social network visualizations and algorithms to identify patterns of collaboration and clustering, as well as with normalizations to make disciplines comparable and to verify increasing citation impact. The knowledge management model implemented in the study may be a cost-effective way for universities to intensify collaboration and improve research performance.     

Let’s search together,but not too close! An analysis of communication and performance in collaborative information seeking

Communication is considered to be one of the most essential components of collaboration, but our understanding as to which form of communication provides the most optimal cost-benefit balance lacks severely. To help investigate effects of various communication channels on a collaborative project, we conducted a user study with 30 pairs (60 participants) in three different conditions – co-located, remotely located with text chat, and remotely located with text as well as audio chat, in an exploratory search task. Using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis, we found that teams with remotely located participants were more effective in terms of being able to explore more diverse information. Adding audio support for remote collaboration helped participants to lower their cognitive load as well as negative emotions compared to those working in the same space. We also show how these findings could help design more effective systems for collaborative information seeking tasks using adequate and appropriate communication. We argue that collaboration is an important aspect of human-centered IR, and that our work provides interesting insights into people doing information seeking/retrieval in collaboration.     

Funding incentives, collaborative dynamics and scientific productivity: Evidence from the EU framework program

In this paper we examine how incentives for collaboration shape collaborative behavior and researcher productivity in the context of EU-funded research networks. EU-funded research networks require researchers to collaborate as a condition for securing research funding. The presence of research funding, therefore, may influence collaborative behavior. Our approach involves isolating the effects of funding, collaboration and previous collaborations (prior to funding) on research output, and examining how the pattern of collaboration affects research productivity over time. Employing a panel of 294 researchers in 39 EU research networks over a 15-year period we find that while the impact of funding on productivity is generally positive the overall impact of collaboration within the funded networks is weak. When we delineate between pre-, during- and post-funding periods, however, we find some important differences. During the period of funding, collaboration did not lead to an increase in research production. In the post-funding period we find that although the number of collaborations decreases within the network, the impact of collaboration on productivity is positive and significant. Our findings suggest that collaborations formed to capitalize on funding opportunities, while not effective in enhancing researcher productivity in the short run, may be an important promoter of effective collaborations in the longer run.