Abstract
We investigated the causes and impact of procrastination on “slippery deadlines,” where the due date is ill-defined and can be autonomously extended, using the unique applied setting of grievance arbitration across two studies. In Study One, using 3 years of observed performance data derived from Canadian arbitration cases and a survey of leading arbitrators, we examined the effect of individual differences, self-regulatory skills, workloads and task characteristics on time delay. Observed delay here is a critical criterion, where justice is emphasized to be swift and sure. Multilevel Modeling established trait procrastination as a substantive predictor of observed delay, equivalent to the environmental contributors of expediting the arbitration procedure or grievance complexity. Also, despite substantive negative consequence of delay for both arbitrators and their clients, arbitrators who scored one standard deviation above the mean in procrastination took approximately 83 days to write their decisions compared to the 26 days for arbitrators one standard deviation below the mean. In Study Two, we conducted a replication and extension survey with a much larger group of American arbitrators. Consistent with Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT), trait procrastination was largely explained by expectancy, value, and sensitivity to time related traits and skills, which together accounted for majority of the variance in trait procrastination, leaving little left for other explanations. For example, perfectionism connection to procrastination appears to be distal, being largely mediated by each of TMT’s core variables. Finally, procrastination was largely synonymous with a deadline pacing style, indicating that observed delay can be used as a proxy for procrastination as long as little or no prior work was done (e.g., a u-shaped pacing style is not synonymous). In all, our results indicate that procrastination is rampant in the workplace and has seriously detrimental effects.
Highlights
Procrastination is an enduring vice, with descriptions in ancient Egypt and Greece dating to the invention of the written word (Benderitter, 2011)
To further validate using delay alone as a proxy of procrastination, we examine the relationship between a deadline pacing style and procrastination
Compared with other adult (40 + years) employes, arbitrators are over a full standard deviation higher in Self-Efficacy (Speier and Frese, 1997) and Need for Achievement (Jackson, 1984) but lower in Trait Procrastination (Steel, 2010)
Summary
Procrastination is an enduring vice, with descriptions in ancient Egypt and Greece dating to the invention of the written word (Benderitter, 2011). Procrastination is endemic, with chronic procrastination rising from 5% of the population in the 1970s to approximately 30% in 2010 (Steel and Ferrari, 2013), that is scoring four or higher on a five-point scale. We procrastinate when we voluntarily put off until later what we think we should be doing despite expecting the worse for our delay. It reflects an intention-action gap, were we leave actions past their optimal starting date (van Hooft et al, 2005). Reflecting its deleterious impact and increased prevalence, Surowiecki (2010) notes that “the study of procrastination has become a significant field in academia, with philosophers, psychologists, and economists all weighing in” (p. 110)
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