Information, Technology, and Information Worker Productivity

Authors:
Sinan Aral;Erik Brynjolfsson;Marshall Van Alstyne
Affiliations:
Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, New York 10012;Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142;Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215/ and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
Venue:
Information Systems Research
Year:
2012

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Abstract

We econometrically evaluate information worker productivity at a midsize executive recruiting firm and assess whether the knowledge that workers accessed through their electronic communication networks enabled them to multitask more productively. We estimate dynamic panel data models of multitasking, knowledge networks, and productivity using several types of micro-level data: (a) direct observation of more than 125,000 email messages over a period of 10 months; (b) detailed accounting data on individuals' project output and team membership for more than 1,300 projects spanning five years; and (c) survey and interview data about the same workers' IT skills, IT use, and information sharing. We find that (1) more multitasking is associated with more project output, but diminishing marginal returns, and (2) recruiters whose network contacts have heterogeneous knowledge---an even distribution of expertise over many project types---are less productive on average but more productive when juggling diverse multitasking portfolios. These results show how multitasking affects productivity and how knowledge networks, enabled by IT, can improve worker performance. The methods developed can be replicated in other settings, opening new frontiers for research on social networks and IT value.