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.     

The Effect of Interruptions and Dyad Gender Combination on Perceptions of Interpersonal Dominance

The argument put forth in this study is that interruptions and dyad gender combinations will have an effect on perceptions of interpersonal dominance. Participants were asked to listen to a series of recorded dialogues with six intentionally embedded intrusive interruptions. After each pair of interruptions, participants completed a survey measuring their perception of the interrupter's interpersonal dominance. Analyses showed that the accrual of interruptions results in a curvilinear increase in perceptions of dominance. Female interrupters in a female/female dyad were consistently perceived as the most dominant and male interrupters in a male/female dyad were consistently perceived as the least dominant.     

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.     

Testing the Connectivity Paradox: Linking Teleworkers' Communication Media Use to Social Presence,Stress from Interruptions,and Organizational Identification

Scholars emphasize the importance of rich communication media for the development of Teleworkers' organizational identification, but tests of these relationships have produced inconsistent results. The connectivity paradox helps explain these findings. The paradox suggests that Teleworkers' connectivity to others through communication media facilitates remote work by affording greater social presence, while also negating the benefits of telework by enabling stressful interruptions. These outcomes of connectivity may benefit and detract from identification. We propose a model linking the core features of the connectivity paradox to organizational identification. Teleworkers and office workers were surveyed, and a multigroup path analysis was utilized. Results indicate that connectivity increases stress from interruptions and indirectly diminishes Teleworkers' identification.