Understanding the rhythms of email processing strategies in a network of knowledge workers

Scope and Method of Study: While emails have improved the communication effectiveness of knowledge workers, they have also started to negatively impact their productivity. Emails have long been known to provide value to the organization, but the influence of the overwhelming amount of information shared through emails and the inefficiencies surrounding the everyday use of emails at work has remained almost completely unanalyzed so far. Frequent announcements of new emails and then a user's checking her email leads to an escalation in the interruption issues, the resulting overall effectiveness derived from email communication needs to be re-explored. This study uses a computational modeling approach to understand how various combinations of timing-based and frequency-based email processing strategies adopted within different types of knowledge networks can influence average email response time, average primary task completion time, and the overall effectiveness, comprising value-effectiveness and time-effectiveness, in the presence of interruptions. Earlier research on the topic has focused on individual knowledge workers. This study performs a network-level analysis to compare different sender-receiver relationships to assess the impact of different overall email policies on the entire network. Computational models of three different email exchange networks were developed, namely, homogeneous networks with higher users of email, homogeneous networks with low users of email and heterogeneous networks utilizing various combinations of email strategies. A new method, referred to as forward and reverse method, to evaluate and validate model parameters is also developed.Findings and Conclusions: Findings suggest the choice of email checking policy can impact time and value effectiveness. For example, rhythmic email processing strategies lead to lower value-effectiveness but higher time-effectiveness for all types of networks. Email response times are generally higher with rhythmic policies than with arrhythmic policies. On the other hand, primary task completion times are usually lower with rhythmic policies. On an average, organizations could potentially save 3 to 6 percent of overall time spent per day by using email strategies that are more time effective but could lose 2.5 to 3.5 percent in the communication-value. These values cumulate into significant time saving or value loss for large organizations

Sensing and indicating interruptibility in office workplaces

In office workplaces, interruptions by co-workers, emails or instant messages are common. Many of these interruptions are useful as they might help resolve questions quickly and increase the productivity of the team. However, knowledge workers interrupted at inopportune moments experience longer task resumption times, lower overall performance, more negative emotions, and make more errors than if they were to be interrupted at more appropriate moments. To reduce the cost of interruptions, several approaches have been suggested, ranging from simply closing office doors to automatically measuring and indicating a knowledge worker’s interruptibility - the availability for interruptions - to co-workers. When it comes to computer-based interruptions, such as emails and instant messages, several studies have shown that they can be deferred to automatically detected breakpoints during task execution, which reduces their interruption cost. For in-person interruptions, one of the most disruptive and time-consuming types of interruptions in office workplaces, the predominant approaches are still manual strategies to physically indicate interruptibility, such as wearing headphones or using manual busy lights. However, manual approaches are cumbersome to maintain and thus are not updated regularly, which reduces their usefulness. To automate the measurement and indication of interruptibility, researchers have looked at a variety of data that can be leveraged, ranging from contextual data, such as audio and video streams, keyboard and mouse interaction data, or task characteristics all the way to biometric data, such as heart rate data or eye traces. While studies have shown promise for the use of such sensors, they were predominantly conducted on small and controlled tasks over short periods of time and mostly limited to either contextual or biometric sensors. Little is known about their accuracy and applicability for long-term usage in the field, in particular in office workplaces. In this work, we developed an approach to automatically measure interruptibility in office workplaces, using computer interaction sensors, which is one type of contextual sensors, and biometric sensors. In particular, we conducted one lab and two field studies with a total of 33 software developers. Using the collected computer interaction and biometric data, we used machine learning to train interruptibility models. Overall, the results of our studies show that we can automatically predict interruptibility with high accuracy of 75.3%, improving on a baseline majority classifier by 26.6%. An automatic measure of interruptibility can consequently be used to indicate the status to others, allowing them to make a well-informed decision on when to interrupt. While there are some automatic approaches to indicate interruptibility on a computer in the form of contact list applications, they do not help to reduce in-person interruptions. Only very few researchers combined the benefits of an automatic measurement with a physical indicator, but their effect in office workplaces over longer periods of time is unknown. In our research, we developed the FlowLight, an automatic interruptibility indicator in the form of a traffic-light like LED placed on a knowledge worker's desk. We evaluated the FlowLight in a large-scale field study with 449 participants from 12 countries. The evaluation revealed that after the introduction of the FlowLight, the number of in-person interruptions decreased by 46% (based on 36 interruption logs), the awareness on the potential harm of interruptions was elevated and participants felt more productive (based on 183 survey responses and 23 interview transcripts), and 86% remained active users even after the two-month study period ended (based on 449 online usage logs). Overall, our research shows that we can successfully reduce in-person interruption cost in office workplaces by sensing and indicating interruptibility. In addition, our research can be extended and opens up new opportunities to further support interruption management, for example, by the integration of other more accurate biometric sensors to improve the interruptibility model, or the use of the model to reduce self-interruptions

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Virtual workplaces : when metaphors breakdown

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81).Our model of work is shaped by the places we choose to work and the tools we choose to work with. As we introduce new technologies and build new environments our model is changing. Today's virtual workplaces are grounded in models of work that have been reformed from our experiences using current technology in physical workspace. However we are discovering opportunities and possibilities for work in collaborative, virtual environments that question physical models. Emerging patterns of distributed collaboration in persistent virtual environments are changing the way we work in time and space, recasting our notion of workplace. Virtual workplaces are interpreted and experienced through metaphors that describe a space of potential for work occurrences. Through the lens of metaphors, this research focuses on breakdowns between collaborative work and the environment in which work occurs. If what we understand and predict is based on what we already know, then by examining the breakdowns between design and use of collaborative environments we can illuminate the space of possibilities for collaborative work.by Thomas W.I. Gallemore.M.S

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

A Study on Visual Focus of Attention Recognition from Head Pose in a Meeting Room

This paper presents a study on the recognition of the visual focus of attention (VFOA) of meeting participants based on their head pose. Contrarily to previous studies on the topic, in our set-up, the potential VFOA of people is not restricted to other meeting participants only, but includes environmental targets (table, slide screen). This has two consequences. Firstly, this increases the number of possible ambiguities in identifying the VFOA from the head pose. Secondly, due to our particular set-up, the identification of the VFOA from head pose can not rely on an incomplete representation of the pose (the pan), but requests the knowledge of the full head pointing information (pan and tilt). In this paper, using a corpus of 8 meetings of 8 minutes on average, featuring 4 persons involved in the discussion of statements projected on a slide screen, we analyze the above issues by evaluating, through numerical performance measures, the recognition of the VFOA from head pose information obtained either using a magnetic sensor device (the ground truth) or a vision based tracking system (head pose estimates). The results clearly show that in complex but realistic situations, it is quite optimistic to believe that the recognition of the VFOA can solely be based on the head pose, as some previous studies had suggested

The Effects of Physical Work Environment Satisfaction and Shared Workspace Characteristics on Employee Behaviors Toward Their Organization: Using Environmental Control as a Mediator.

This study investigated personal control of the work environment, at the individual level, and how it may act as a mediator for employee reactions towards their organization based on specific workspace characteristics and physical work environment satisfaction (PWES). Accordingly, this research aimed to contribute to management understanding of the way that providing employees‟ control of their workspace environment could benefit an organization by fostering greater commitment and positive workplace behaviors. The theoretical model suggests that the three predictor variables (PWES, need for privacy, and social density) would have a direct relationship with a) the four employee behaviors: affective commitment (AC), psychological strain, organizational citizenship behaviors-individual (OCBI), and counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB), and b) with perceived environmental control. The model also suggests that perceived environmental control would mediate the relationships between each of the predictor variables and the employee behaviors. An online questionnaire was completed by 133 employees working in open plan office environments in New Zealand. PWES was found to have a positive relationship with AC and perceived environmental control. Need for privacy related positively with CWB, and negatively with AC, positive wellbeing, and perceived environmental control. Finally, social density was also found to relate negatively with AC and perceived environmental control. Environmental control was a significant mediator for 5 of the 15 (30%) mediation relationships predicted: PWES and AC, need for privacy and AC, need for privacy and positive wellbeing, need for privacy and CWB, and finally social density and AC. Indirect effects were found for 3 of the 15 (20%) predicted mediation relationships: PWES and AC, need for privacy and AC, and need for privacy and CWB. The major implications of this research are that it is important for organizations to acknowledge the physical and control aspects of the work environment as well as the social and management aspects. This research shows that open plan organizations in New Zealand could benefit from providing their workforce with greater environmental control. This means finding ways to enhance the work environment through greater privacy design and less socially dense work spaces should be considered by management and organizational psychology professionals in New Zealand as effective steps to organizational success. Further implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed in the final chapter

Human-Computer Interaction

In this book the reader will find a collection of 31 papers presenting different facets of Human Computer Interaction, the result of research projects and experiments as well as new approaches to design user interfaces. The book is organized according to the following main topics in a sequential order: new interaction paradigms, multimodality, usability studies on several interaction mechanisms, human factors, universal design and development methodologies and tools

Washington University Record, March 16, 1995

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/record/1681/thumbnail.jp