the activity illusion
DESCRIPTION
Business psychologists Rob Archer and Ian Price shows the dangers of too much activity on both performance and mental health. They suggest reasons why we struggle with too much information, and what we can do to adapt more effectively.TRANSCRIPT
The Activity Illusion
Why doing more is suddenly
getting us less
“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change”.
Is this you?Always on the go -
24/7
Multitasker extraordinaire
Always connected
Always available
Always on the go - 24/7
Multitasker extraordinaire
Always connected
Always available
Is this you?
What about your organisation?
We work with organisations to help them understand the cognitive effects of too much information, reduce their levels of
activity and increase their organisational effectiveness.
We are two business psychologists who believe that the information age is posing unique challenges to the way we work.
The amount of information we process daily has doubled
in the past 20 years
Here’s a thought:
We think this is driving an obsession with activity which is harming our
effectiveness at work in 4 ways.
% of an average company’s payroll is diminished by ineffective use of email
University of Toronto, 2004
12%
1: Productivity
University of Toronto, 2004
1: Productivity
...we’re not talking about personal email or internet use here.
This is ineffective use of work email.
Add the impact of interruptions and the figure
is closer to 20%.
Fact:It takes us 64 seconds to refocus after an interruption.
Oh and 41% of the time, we never return.
2: Cognitive Performance
20th C
Pro
duct
ivity
The huge advances in 20th century productivity all started with this chap,
2: Cognitive Performance
20th C
Pro
duct
ivity
Frederick Taylor
Taylor invented scientific management, which was all about doing more activity more efficiently and more quickly...
This was excellent for tasks such as carrying pig-iron
BUT...Big but
This did not apply to tasks of cognitive complexity...
“The man who is physically able to handle pig iron and is sufficiently stupid to choose this for
his occupation is rarely able to comprehend the science of handling
pig iron.”
And few of us are asked to lug pig iron about the office any more.
knowledge management
business
intelligence
Data analysis
...in other words, tasks of cognitive complexity.
Increasingly our jobs involve:
Creative problem solving
Shifting pig-iron = cognitive complexity
Knowledge work = cognitive complexity
Shifting pig-iron = cognitive complexity
More is ALWAYS better
Knowledge work = cognitive complexity
...More is OFTEN worse!
“Participants who completed tasks in parallel took 30% longer and made twice as many errors as those who completed the same tasks in sequence.”
(McKinsey Quarterly, Jan 2011)
Taylorism doesn’t work for the 21st century world of information overload.
Meet Phineas Gage...3: Leadership
Meet Phineas Gage...
... Phineas was a 19th century US railroad worker who, after an explosion, ended up with a 4ft metal rod lodged through his skull.
Incredibly, Gage survived.
But alas his prefrontal cortex was damaged and he was never the same again....
“He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest
profanity... Capricious and vacillating, devising many plans of future operation, which are no
sooner arranged than they are abandoned...”
Dr Harlow, Gage’s Physician.
Just like today’s CEO.
“He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest
profanity... Capricious and vacillating, devising many plans of future operation, which are no
sooner arranged than they are abandoned...”
What - information overload damages our brains?
In a way, yes! The human mind finds new information difficult to ignore. For example, new e-mails tend to stimulate our dopamine (reward) systems so we
can become quite obsessive about checking them. But....
What - information overload damages our brains?
Russell Poldrack, Neuroscientist, University of Texas
“Too much dopamine or noradrenaline and our
prefrontal cortex function goes south, leaving us
disorganised, forgetful and unable to focus.”
In a way, yes! The human mind finds new information difficult to ignore. For example, new e-mails tend to stimulate our dopamine (reward) systems so we
can become quite obsessive about checking them. But....
One idea:People with smartphones spend 250% longer checking for messages outside working hours than those without smartphones*
*I.Price MSc Research Project, “Email is Ruining My Life” 2010
Are we simply “too busy” to lead?Leaders tell us they don’t get the chance to lead any more. Why?
Being too busy means we have no time for creative thinking...
Or strategic thinking...
Or strategic thinking...
(Not even in the car...).
So the art of leadership...
So the art of leadership...
....is often reduced to platitudes
But carrots and sticks only improve performance for mechanical tasks....
Motivation is reduced to carrots and sticks.
But carrots and sticks only improve performance for mechanical tasks....
...Where even
rudimentary cognitive skill is requiredlarger rewards lead to
poorer performance.
Motivation is reduced to carrots and sticks.
“.. the inability to focus that is driven by the richness of our environment... bears resemblance to the inattention that marks ADHD.”
Dr Russell Poldrack, Neuroscientist, University of Texas
4. Being too busy damages mental health
“.. People spend 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing.
This mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy.”
Professor Dan Gilbert, Psychologist, Harvard University
4. Being too busy damages mental health
So, what can we do?
Isn’t this just the way things are?
Not necessarily.
Not necessarily.
After all, Taylorism was about adapting the way we work to the changing environment of the 20th century.
Not necessarily.
We believe we need to adapt again to change the way we work in the 21st century.
After all, Taylorism was about adapting the way we work to the changing environment of the 20th century.
Add the impact of interruptions and the figure is closer to 20%*
It takes us 64 seconds to return to what we were doing after an interruption...
...41% of the time, we never return.
By learning skills to help the mind cope with too much information, we can dramatically boost productivity in real terms...
...and improve mental health and wellbeing.
Allow us to introduce our Work Effectiveness Programme and some of its outcomes:
• a reduction in frenetic but ineffective activity
• mastery of communications technology e.g. email
• heightened ability to focus for optimal effectiveness
• improved work-life balance and resilience
• heightened motivation and commitment
We use the latest proven techniques to drive behavioural change...
xx... so that learning actually gets implemented.
Who benefits from our Effectiveness Programme?
• Leadership teams
• Sales teams
• Customer service teams
• Virtual teams
• Project teams
About Us...
[email protected]: 07919 600846
[email protected]: 07904 956965
Ian Price is an organisational behaviour specialist and author of The Activity Illusion. Formerly a corporate man, Ian has switched careers and recently completed his MSc in Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck College.
Rob Archer is an organisational psychologist specialising in engagement,
resilience and behavioural change. Formerly a management consultant, Rob
retrained as an Occupational Psychologist at the University of London.