A Study of the Impact of an Integrated Information Technology on the Time Utilization of Information Workers

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the impact of the implementation of an integrated information technology (IIT) on the time utilization of information workers as mediated by the content of the information work performed. The IIT in this study is a system of personal computers linked together in a network for sharing computing, data, and communication resources. The subjects of the study were two groups of information workers in an academic field setting. One group consisted of knowledge workers whose chief activity was to advise and counsel students. The other group represented lower level information workers who provided support service to an academic department. A two‐dimensional framework was used to classify each of the activities an information worker performs relative to its importance and programmability within the context of the information work. Using work sampling methodology, it was determined that the IIT was associated with the knowledge workers' reallocation of work time to important yet relatively unstructured tasks. The lower level information workers became more efficient in performing highly structured skill‐based activities. However, there was no statistically significant improvement in the effectiveness of the work completed as perceived by the clients of both groups of information workers. The results suggest that when an IIT is implemented, the manner in which newly available time is utilized depends on the nature of the information work performed by the users.