Polytasking and Job Stress across Cultures

The current study explored the relationship between country of origin and personal and organizational polytasking in relation to stressors and strains. The study also investigated how temporal incongruence could be a source of stress. A total of 440 surveys were collected from full-time employees, including Asian Indians in the USA (n= 67), Asian Indians in India (n=253), and non-Asian Indians in the USA (n= 120). Results indicate that non-Asian Indians in the USA perceive significantly greater levels of personal and organizational polytasking than Asian Indians. There were no significant differences in perceptions of personal and organizational polytasking for Asian Indians (in India and the USA). Second, stressor and strain responses to perceptions of organizational polytasking and temporal incongruence were different among the three cultural groups. Implications for time management and future research directions are discussed

An Introductory Study into the Concept of Polychronicity, in Relation to Events Management Agencies and their Employees

Aim: This research paper aims to introduce an insight in to whether events agencies are more polychronic or monochronic focused. While striving to achieve the main aim, the research will set out to meet the following objectives. Objectives: To assess events agency employees’ attitudes towards time management situations To identify different perceptions surrounding employee work ethics To explore the techniques adopted by employees surrounding workload management The need for this research to be conducted stemmed from observations from within an events agency organisation. Following personal experiences of working within the situation being discussed, an assumptive need for initial research in to the professional environment became apparent due to the, seemingly, minimal number of similar conducted projects. As will become more evident throughout the research, the concept of polychronicity and monochronicity have been researched throughout the years, with the seminal research surrounding these phenomena mentioned throughout, but the discussion of polychronicity and monochronicity were yet to be mentioned in relation to events management. With few research papers available for adaptation, the approach to this research was purely exploratory, with the aim of introducing the topic of polychronicity and monochronicity being at the forefront as opposed to producing sound reasoning to support an existing industry problem. Following a mixed method data collection technique, seminal work on polychronic and monochronic self-tests were adapted in order to assess employee attitudes towards time management in relatable situations to agencies. A fresh approach was introduced with a qualitative task, exploring techniques that participant’s follow in relation to workload management and giving them free rein to advise their best practice with possibilities to contribute further with additional comments. Harmonising with one another, the results are comparable and aid in meeting the final objective of identifying different perceptions surrounding employee work ethics. Key findings: It can be seen from the research discussions that the agency environment can be considered as more polychronic than monochronic. The results are not conclusive enough to confirm whether it is becoming a polychronic-only environment, but they are strong enough to suggest the aim of the research has been met as an introductory relationship between agencies and polychronicity has been discussed with reference to it being more polychronic focused. Overall, the quantitative results illustrated that the sample was made up of mainly monochrons with an even split falling short by 3%. The polychronicity focus comes from the identification of themes such as working around other people which led to a new concept of forced polychronicity which stemmed from references to “juggling tasks” and literary references of dovetailing due to depending on external parties before completing tasks. Other themes followed the view on the concept of time, whether tangible from monochrons or flexible from polychrons and the discussion surrounding internal policies and agreements put in place between the organisation and the client. Participants also had the opportunity to contribute to the research with their thoughts and beliefs, with responses such as the environment making the “job feel overwhelming” making them feel “stretched out across too many projects at one time” and believing working in this environment is “not a sustainable way to work for long periods”. Limitations: As the research follows an interpretivist route, the sample size was justified for being small as it allowed for more complex data collection, but the final sample who responded was slightly too small to allow for an in depth and comparative analysis of the results, which also impacted on the representation of the identified categories as they could be deemed as not a fair representation. The final qualitative data collection method, although unique and successful in its own right, did not produce results with the desired depth and would have performed better if following the route of the identified diary method or a more observational method to truly satisfy the qualitative results and gain more input from the respondents themselves. In line with the depth of the results being less than desired, the complexity of the project itself proved greater than originally expected, suggesting this project is better suited when carried out over a longer duration as it would allow for data to be collected on numerous occasions and revisited in order to produce more comparative and reliable results

Examining the Relationship Between Time-related Diversity Variables and Team Conflict

This research sought to extend the team diversity literature to examine the relationships between three time-related individual difference variables and team conflict. This study answers the call for team research that incorporates time and outcome variables other than performance or deadline adherence. The present longitudinal study of engineering project teams (N=72), explored how diversity in regards to polychronicity, time urgency and pacing styles affect task and relationship conflict in teams over time. Based on results, polychronicity diversity was positively related to task conflict at Time 1 and relationship conflict at Time 3, while time urgency diversity was negatively related to both task and relationship conflict at Time 2. These results call into question the assumption that the effect of deep-level traits increases over time (Harrison, Price, & Bell, 1998). Strengths, limitations and directions for future research are discussed

Analyzing fit in CSR strategy research in state-owned enterprises: Indonesia context

Purpose: We attempted to empirically examine the fitness level of enterprises CSR strategy and its context with contingency and configuration approach. Furthermore, we used 213 CSR managers of state-owned enterprises in Indonesia as samples Design/methodology/approach: We used the purposive sampling technique to examine the data, also the contingency and configuration approach are measured with regression Euclidean distance. Findings: The result of the configuration and contingency approach has shown fit between CSR strategy and elements of contingency such as socialization tactic and time orientation. This condition also emerges on proactive CSR strategy and reactive CSR strategy, However, there are limitations of this study: an existence of the influence of the situation and condition when this study takes time; there is a concern on the result of not generalizing population, also the organizational performance only considered the size of organizational performance from non financial measure. Research limitation: (a) respondents’ answers are highly influenced by situation and condition when the study takes time. Although validity and reliability tests has shown the right outcome, there is still a possibility of a bias, (b) state-owned enterprises in Indonesia are represented by CSR manager samples with purposive technique so there is a concern on the result for not generalizing population, (c) this research only used primary data through questionnaires. It would be better to combine both primary and secondary data for future researches, (d) organizational performance only considered the size of organizational performance from non financial measure. Originality/value: There is a methodological contribution in testing the fit of a relationship, both contingency and configuration are superior in terms of research method which used Euclidean distance, and used multivariate fit and bivariate fit linear regression. This research model used systematic approach by testing the fit of a relationship, using deviation from design ideal type for socialization tactic and time orientation or contingency variable that influences organizational performance, hence it could be acknowledged the value of the influence between ideal relationship from CSR strategy, socialization tactic and time orientation.Peer Reviewe

Time-Related Individual Differences.

Post-modernism has brought about changing demands with respect to time in work organisations. Whilst the impact of this has been given some attention at both the organisational and individual level far less has been given to a consideration of the extent to which individual differences might moderate the impact of such changes. In order to proceed with this line of enquiry it is necessary first to be able to measure individual differences related to time. This paper, through an analysis and synthesis of existing measures of individual attitudes/approaches to time, a subsequent qualitative study, and large quantitative survey study (N=683) identifies a five factor structure for time-related individual differences (Time Personality) and reports on the development of five complementary measurement scales : Leisure Time Awareness, Punctuality, Planning, Polychronicity and Impatience. A series of reliability and validity studies indicate that the scales are psychometrically sound. The findings are discussed in the context of the role Time Personality might play in moderating the effects that differing organisational structures and changing work demands might have in organisational settings

The Impact of Career Motivation and Polychronicity on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention among Hotel Industry Employees

Employee turnover has been one of the most serious issues facing the hotel industry for many years. Both researchers and practitioners have devoted considerable time and effort to better understand and indentify ways to decrease employee turnover. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of individual differences focusing on career motivation and polychronicity on job satisfaction and its influence on employee turnover intention in the hotel industry. This study surveyed 609 non-supervisory employees working at two Dallas hotels. Respondents provided information regarding career motivations, polychronicity, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Career motivations were significantly related to employee job satisfaction which impacted employee turnover intention. This finding can be useful to hotel companies and their managers when attempting to understand employee motivation

Information technology project managers' productivity and project success: the influence of polychronic communication

This research focuses on the role that polychronic Communication (PC) plays in the productivity and project success of Information Technology (IT) Project Managers (PMs). PC refers to a communication style where the communicator switches rapidly between several conversations, irrespective of topic similarity, instead of completing one conversation before starting another. An online questionnaire collected data from Information Technology workers in multiple industries across the globe. The data consisted out of two distinct groups: IT PMs (n = 202) and IT project team members (n = 122). Statistical analysis on the dataset considered the perspectives of both participant groups, first separately and then combined. The results showed relationships between: 1. IT PMs’ individual polychronicity and their PC. 2. IT PMs’ PC and their opinion of the influence of PC on the success of the projects that they are managing. 3. IT PMs’ PC and their opinion of the influence of PC on their productivity. 4. IT PMs’ PC and the corporate polychronicity of their employers. In addition, when IT PMs rate their PC, the rating is lower than when other IT project team members rate the IT PMs’ PC. By contrast, there was no difference between IT PMs rating the influence of their PC on their project success and productivity versus IT project teams rating the influence of the IT PMs’ PC on their project success and productivity. These findings contribute to the factors that a corporation has to consider in hiring new IT PMs or training their current IT PMs.Information ScienceM. Sc. (Information Systems

The Impact of National Culture on Control in IS Offshoring Projects

To our best knowledge, this is the first quantitative study on the impact of the supplier‘s national culture on the client‘s choice of control modes in IS offshoring projects. A survey-based field study was conducted, using a client-supplier matched pair as the unit of analysis. This approach allowed for the examination of the direct control relationship within 46 unique matched pairs. The study results offer empirical evidence that the supplier‘s national culture (i.e., power distance and time perception) affects the client‘s choice of controls in IS offshoring projects. However, the supplier‘s cultural background seems to play a less important role than suggested by prior research. These results (1) adapt previous research to the IS offshoring context, (2) enhance prior findings by establishing a more detailed understanding about the cultural influence on the exercise of controls as well as by confirming the significance of project size–an influencing factor that has previously shown mixed results, and (3) incorporate new constructs and measures in developing an integrated model that should be broadly applicable to other IS project contexts