A little over 3 weeks ago we conducted an experiment to see how instant messaging (IM) and Twitter posts affected company work flow and communication.
Hypothosis: IMs and personal tweets may be negatively affecting our efficiency
Method: Voluntarily not using personal & work IM tools at workstations. Voluntarily not accessing personal Twitter account(s) during work.
Length of Experiment: 3 weeks, 2 days and counting
The following information about positive and negative effects was gathered during a brief company-wide discussion.
Positive effects:
- Increased ‘in the zone’ time
- Less distractions without multiple conversations going on at once
- “I saved at least 1.5 hours a day”
- I learned to use the speaker phone
- Long questions were better answered face-to-face, than through IM
- Sending non-timely information by email rather than IM proved more effective, especially to groups
- Learned to discern the value of a question, versus interrupting someone or having to get up and ask
- Grouped non-timely questions into a list and then approached the individual to get everything taken care of at
once - Eliminating personal tweets saved time
- “Dave didn’t bug me” (and I gently weep)
- More organized, less frenzied
Negative effects:
- Verbal interruptions were more disruptive than IMs
- More stressful; no breaks in the work flow
- Physically checking to see if you could talk to someone was a waste of time
- Physically interrupting someone cued the instinct to make small talk and waste time (being polite)
- Short questions and information, like sending links or code, is better with IM than e-mail
- “Felt like I was in jail” (was not aware that anyone here had that experience for reference)
- Missed distractions as tool for inspiration; as something that cleared the mind and helped creativity
- IMs were more effective than email for sending code snippets and links
- Waiting on an email to answer questions or requests was less effective than IMs
- Felt more comfortable because inappropriate private IM conversations weren’t taking place
Question:
When asked if you have been
more or less efficient in your work during this experiment:
– 11 staff members say they have been more efficient during the experiment
– 2 staff members say they have been less efficient during the experiment
Observations:
– Most notable increases in productivity came from management positions
– ‘Creatives’ were affected negatively more than non-creative staff. Some complained of stress without distractions
Conclusions:
– Instituting beta test of Campfire IM tool by 37 Signals
– Continue to not utilize personal IM accounts and personal twitter accounts
– Monitor our usage, share our experience and adjust accordingly
