Abstract
OVERVIEW: This study examines the temporal attributes, barriers, and outcomes of slack time in R&D organizations. The study findings indicate that slack time has a waved occurrence, organically arising from downtimes in core work and uptimes in personal creativity. Endemic overcommitment of employees and high perceived opportunity costs prevent slack time from being used effectively in many organizations, resulting in merely rhetorical slack time. The findings suggest that genuine slack time requires formally allocating resources to pay for discretionary time and insulating employees from urgent demands. The study identifies three main outcomes of genuine slack time: (1) It diversifies creativity sources, leading to a spectrum of innovativeness and applications; (2) it increases employee motivation through autonomy and empowerment; and (3) it functions as a cultural lever signaling trust. The study contributes a nuanced conceptualization of slack time grounded in practitioner experiences and offers insights for managing slack time to foster innovation and employee engagement.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
