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Information overload: Exploring management of electronic mail
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Information overload: Exploring management of electronic mail
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INFORMATION OVERLOAD: EXPLORING MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC MAIL by Richard W. Etter A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF POLICY, PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION August 2003 Copyright 2003 Richard W. Etter Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3116694 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3116694 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF POLICY, PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT UNIVERSITY PARK LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089 This dissertation, written by W(CC;4M, under the direction o f h./S.... Dissertation Committee, and approved by all its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty o f the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, in partial fulfillment o f requirements for the degree o f DOCTOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Dean Date DISSERTATION COMMITTEE Chairperson permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements To my dissertation committee, Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt, PhD. - chair, Professor William Petak, Ph.D., and Doctor Marvin Langston, DP A, I say thank you for continuing to work with me for such a long period while I slowly, but methodically, worked to complete this research study. You made my experience more meaningful and complete. In addition, I must say thank you to both Dean Robert Biller, Ph.D., and Professor John McLaughlin, Ph.D., as they were instrumental in aiding and advising me during some of the most anxious times of my journey through the program. Their “can do” spirit was contagious, motivating, and vital to my success. To my fellow students, professors, and school administrative staff, I say thank you for being a part of my educational experience. Your assistance was meaningful and contributed greatly to my academic accomplishments and successes. To my fellow workers and many work friends, I say thank you for allowing me the opportunity to pursue my education. Without a highly skilled and talented group such as you, I would not have been able to devote the time, attention, and energy necessary to complete successfully both my work and academics. A special thank you to each of you who participated in my research study as you provided the most valuable ingredient - the data. Your support and cooperation was tremendous and for that, I am genuinely and forever grateful. To my family and personal friends, I say thank you as you provided vital support and timely encouragement that helped inspire me to get through this process and never lose site of my goal. You were understanding and tolerant and I always appreciated that consideration. I deeply appreciate and cherish the good feelings I have, knowing I have family and friends that care for my interests and me. To my lovely wife of 25 years saying thank you is a significant understatement and injustice to you. Audrey, you made sacrifices that were both difficult and painful; you sacrificed your interests for the sake of mine. The emotional cost of those opportunities you traded off to allow me my pursuit is incalculable and something I will never be able to fully repay nor something for which I can compensate you justly. Nevertheless, I will try my best to make up for those missed opportunities. From my heart, I say sincerely, thank you and I will love you always! Semper fidelis! Sierra Hotel! Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. T able o f C ontents Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables.............................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures......................................................................................................................................... viii Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................ix Chapter 1: Introduction to the Research Study.........................................................................................1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................ I Problem.................................................................................................................................................. 2 Background o f the Problem.................................................................................................................. 3 Organizations. Communication, and Information..............................................................................5 Information Overload............................................................................................................................8 E-mail......................................................................................................................................................9 Information Systems and Technology fISAT) Support Office..........................................................11 Research Study M ethodology.............................................................................................................13 Research Propositions.........................................................................................................................13 Significance..........................................................................................................................................14 Chapter 2: Literature Review...................................................................................................................16 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 16 Information........................................................................................................................................... 16 Communication.....................................................................................................................................18 Organizations and Information..........................................................................................................20 E-mail: Communication and Information........................................................................................ 24 E-mail and Overload...........................................................................................................................27 E-mail: Management...........................................................................................................................31 Chapter 3: Research Method................................................................................................................... 35 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................35 Research Method................................................................................................................................. 37 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Data Collection 38 Potential Sources o f Errors................................................................................................................ 39 Sampling Strategy................................................................................................................................ 40 Interviewing..........................................................................................................................................41 Survey Questionnaire..........................................................................................................................43 Survey Questionnaire Testing.............................................................................................................50 Data Collection Procedures...............................................................................................................51 Coding and Recording Data............................................................................................................... 52 Research Reliability and Validity...................................................................................................... 55 Limits o f the Study............................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 4: Research Study Results and Findings..................................................................................57 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................57 Data and Findings from Interviews................................................................................................... 58 Data from Observation Sessions........................................................................................................67 Data from Survey Questionnaire........................................................................................................69 Data from Audit Records.................................................................................................................... 93 Summary............................................................................................................................................... 99 Chapter 5: Discussion. Conclusions, and Future Research................................................................103 Introduction........................................................................................................................................103 Discussion........................................................................................................................................... 104 Conclusions........................................................................................................................................107 Recommendations for Future Research...........................................................................................110 References............................................................................................................................................... 112 Appendix A: Initial invitation to participate in the research study.................................................... 124 Appendix B: Follow-up invitation to participate in the research study.............................................126 Appendix C: Invitation to participate in the survey questionnaire pre-test...................................... 128 Appendix D: Thank you message to participants in the survey questionnaire pre-test...................129 Appendix E: The survey questionnaire: EZSurvev form.................................................................... 130 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V Appendix F: Distribution notice to participate in the survey Questionnaire..................................... 133 Appendix G: Thank you message to participants in the survey questionnaire.................................134 Appendix H: Participant Cross-Reference Coding.............................................................................. 135 Appendix I: Interview and Observation Results: Parts I and II data collection................................136 Appendix J: Survey Questionnaire Results: Part III data collection.................................................. 161 Appendix K: E-mail Activity Audit Record Results: Part IV data collection..................................256 Vita...........................................................................................................................................................298 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. List of Tables Table 1 Summary of the data collection methods that includes e-mail....................................................38 Table 2 Survey Questionnaire...................................................................................................................... 44 Table 3 Linkage between sections A through D. the items, the item formats, and the scale types 48 Table 4 The linkage between the items in the survey questionnaire and the research propositions 49 Table 5 E-mail activity coding scheme....................................................................................................... 53 Table 6 Research Study Sample Participants: Gender Description.......................................................... 57 Table 7 Research Study Part I Data Collection Respondents - Part I Interviews...................................58 Table 8 Research Study Part II Data Collection Respondents - Part II Observation Sessions............. 68 Table 9 Survey Questionnaire Section A Response Summary..................................................................72 Table 10 Research Study Survey Respondents: Gender Description.......................................................74 Table 11 Research Study Survey Respondents: Gender Description - corrected................................... 74 Table 12 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Job Series Group.....................................................74 Table 13 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Job Series Group.................................................... 75 Table 14 Research Study Survey Respondents: Level in the Organization Description........................75 Table 15 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Computer U se........................................................ 75 Table 16 Research Study Survey Respondents: By E-mail U se..............................................................76 Table 17 Research Study Survey Respondents: Bv Education Level.....................................................76 Table 18 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Education Level...................................................... 77 Table 19 Research Study Survey Respondents: Job Series bv Gender....................................................77 Table 20 Research Study Survey Respondents: Level in the Organization bv Gender........................... 77 Table 21 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level bv Gender......................................... 77 Table 22 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use bv Gender............................................ 78 Table 23 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use bv Gender..................................................78 Table 24 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level bv Job Series.....................................78 Table 25 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use bv Job Series........................................ 78 Table 26 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use bv Job Series..............................................79 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vii Table 27 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level bv Level in the Organization........ 79 Table 28 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use bv Level in the Organization............79 Table 29 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use bv Level in the Organization................. 79 Table 30 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use bv Computer U se.....................................80 Table 31 Percent of E-mail Messages Received and Saved...................................................................... 81 Table 32 Percent of E-mail Messages Received and Deleted...................................................................81 Table 33 Number of E-mail Messages in In-boxes....................................................................................86 Table 34 Number of E-mail Messages Saved in Other Folders................................................................87 Table 35 Number of Folders for Organizing E-mail Messages.................................................................87 Table 36 Number of Minutes Spent Daily Managing E-m ail...................................................................88 Table 37 Frequency of Need to Find Stored E-mail Messages.................................................................88 Table 38 Number of Messages for which Respondents’ Search...............................................................89 Table 39 Frequency and Number of Messages for which Respondents’ Search.....................................89 Table 40 E-mail Activity Event Coding Scheme....................................................................................... 93 Table 41 E-mail Total Activity for the Period............................................................................................94 Table 42 E-mail Total Activity for the Period - Combining All Outgoing Messages........................... 95 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. List of Figures Figure 1 E-mail Activity Proportionally Bv Event..................................................................................... 95 Figure 2 E-mail Activity Proportionally Bv Even: Combining All Outgoing Events............................ 96 Figure 3 E-mail Activity: Bv Event For Each 24-Hour Segment............................................................. 97 Figure 4 E-mail Activity: Bv Event For Each 24-Hour Segment: Combining All Outgoing Events... 98 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract This research study highlights the complexity surrounding the notion of information overload when using electronic mail (e-mail). Specifically, it focuses on the role of e-mail on information overload. This study examines how federal government employees of the Department of Navy Information Systems and Technology (IS AT) Support Office manage or handle their e-mail to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload from e-mail. This research study suggests information overload is as real as it is perceived when using e-mail. In addition, this research study suggests that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office are required to use e-mail daily as a means of basic communication in the workplace and that they use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. This research study, in part, supports the proposition that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. Only some research participants reported experiencing information overload from using e-mail. Furthermore, this research study finds that that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office use e-mail for more than basic communications. They use e-mail as a general file system, as a database, and as a general archive for information. Finally, federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office developed e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use of e-mail. For example, they sort e-mail in ways that allow them to arrange messages by various attributes such as by sender or date received. They apply various strategies for deleting messages. They apply various strategies when archiving messages. They apply various strategies to organize e-mail messages. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 Chapter 1: Introduction to the Research Study Introduction Electronic mail (e-mail) is now a communication tool of choice for professionals. The popularity and ubiquity of e-mail throughout the business world, both commercial and government, established it as a communications standard. Today, however, many workers see e-mail as much an aggravation as an advantage because managing the daily onslaught of messages is more of a challenge than many are equipped to handle. The number of e-mail messages is most likely going to increase. According to research conducted by Lyman and Varian (2000), 89 million Americans use e-mail at work, and the average corporate e-mail user already has 1.5 mailboxes. In addition, Lyman and Varian (2000) report statistics from the Internet Society that the number of e-mail messages sent in November 1992 was 279,060,000 and by November 1994, that number climbed to 1,007,590,000. The difference reflects almost a fourfold increase in just twenty-four months. Lyman and Varian (2000) also reference current data cited in technical and trade periodicals to emphasize the rapid and dramatic growth in the use of e-mail. For example, they report forecasts from “Messaging On-Line,” by the end of 2003, worldwide e-mail message traffic will exceed 240 billion messages annually. Clearly, the trend is more e-mail messages. For the workplace, this could mean information overload, which justifies the need for good e-mail management. According to Dertouzos (2000), good e-mail management comes from combing smart use of technology with responsible human behavior. Dertouzos (2000) suggests that no user should send messages or copies indiscriminately without regard for the impact such messages has on the receiver. He promotes an approach that requires e-mail authors to remember that the recipient spends time handling the message, and that time is a limited and valuable resource. For the workplace, Dertouzos (2000) advocates creative procedures and/or policies to influence responsible e-mail behavior. In addition, he suggests that filtering at the destination is a means of handling the increasing volume of e-mail (Dertouzos, 2000). Without good management of e-mail in the workplace, e-mail might overwhelm and stress workers beyond their limits, thereby reducing their effectiveness. Information overload is one cause of feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Research studies about information overload characterize this phenomenon as the experience of dysfunctional consequence. For example, in a decision-making situation, making a poor choice could result from information overload. Processing a large amount of data, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 alternatives, or the combination and interaction between these two characteristics causes information overload (Helgeson & Ursic, 1993; Jacoby et al., 1974; Malhotra, 1982). E-mail enables the exchange of information both within and outside an organization and explains in part why e-mail is one of the most popular standards in the workplace for communicating. As a form of computer-mediated communication, e-mail offers many advantages over the other means of computer- mediated communication, such as automated telephone message systems or voice mail, electronic conferences, and bulletin boards (Clausen, 1992). The advantages are a big reason why e-mail is so popular in organizations today. E-mail enables acquisition and sharing of information in many forms; text, graphic, image, and audio formats all are supportable through e-mail. With the advantages, however, come some disadvantages. Too much e-mail might lead to information overload. Information overload is becoming a widely discussed issue as it relates to stress in the workplace or work-related stress, efficiency and effectiveness, and perceived work quality. In addition, organizations are reporting increased frustration and anxiety in the workplace; in part, the increase in their reliance on information technologies, such as e-mail, and their expanding capacity for information access afforded by these technologies is causing this increase in frustration and anxiety (Gibbs, 1998; McCune, 1998). The increased reliance on information, and capacity to access information, are associated with constant exposure to information that leads to information overload. McCune (1998) refers to this condition of constant information overload as “information fatigue syndrome,” and he describes information fatigue syndrome as a psychological condition brought about by chronic information overload in the workplace. Psychologist David Lewis first proposed the condition of information fatigue syndrome after he analyzed the findings from the first Reuters (1996) report (Heylighen, 1999). Problem Much of the research study to date on e-mail technology focuses on non-government organizations. Researchers have not done much research study in a federal government setting. As for research study on information overload, it is a popular notion bandied about in the press and addressed in varying degrees in both professional and academic literatures. According to Bettman, Johnson, and Payne (1991), the information overload concept is somewhat ambiguous, which might explain the varying degrees Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 of study. Heylighen (1999) reports in his analysis of the topic of information overload over time, that there is a low level of coverage in the literature from the 1970s and 1980s, and a higher level of coverage in literature during the 1990s. The peak year, according to Heylighen’s analysis, is 1997 with coverage for 1998 and 1999 showing a decrease. This research study, though, focuses on a federal government organization, a small Department of Navy information systems and technology office that is part of a larger support organization. Specifically, this research study focuses on information overload as it might manifest in an e-mail environment and examines how individuals within the organization manage their e-mail to avoid or at least mitigate the manifestation of information overload from e-mail. Background o f the Problem The way people in organizations communicate is changing drastically due to information technology. The change is continuous and directly related to the evolution and emergence of computer and telecommunication technologies (Robbins & Coulter, 1999). Naisbitt and Aburdene (1985) went beyond the way people in organizations communicate and claim those technologies, such as e-mail, are altering not only organizations but also the individual workers themselves. Similarly, Hammer and Champy (1993) describe organizational reengineering as a means to affect change. In fact, they cite information technology as an “essential enabler” that permits such reengineering. Buckholtz (1995) argues, “All entities rely on information systems and technologies” (p. 14). In addition, he argues that having sufficient information inside the organization is a normal goal for organizations, however, pointing out that an over abundance of information could lead to dysfunctional behavior (Buckholtz, 1995). Sproull and Kiesler (1991, 1995) suggest that more information is not always good or more valuable, than having less information. They claim that an overload of information might lead to near paralysis, where decision-making becomes most difficult, and consequently ineffective (Sproull & Kiesler, 1991, 1995). Ebert and Griffin (1998) discover in their work that information overwhelms managers. They report, “New forms of technology have added to a manager’s ability to process information while simultaneously making it even more important to organize and interpret an ever-increasing wealth of input... (p. 143).” In particular, e-mail is a primary form of new technology. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 This study focuses on the role of e-mail on information overload. Specifically, this study examines how individuals manage or handle their e-mail to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload from e-mail. E-mail is a computer software technology that functionally and digitally permits users to create, edit, send, receive, store, forward, print, retrieve, and delete messages. As a means of communication, it is asynchronous, which means the sender and receiver do not have to be available at the same time for the communication to occur. Furthermore, asynchronous communication does not require scheduled, endpoint-to-endpoint connectivity, like with a telephone call. Philips and Eisenberg (1993) describe other characteristics of e-mail. They point out that the ability to easily save and store e-mail messages is “high” in a characteristic, which they call “plasticity,” and e-mail has “high plasticity.” They describe e-mail as being low in paralinguistic information, which includes such things as tone and inflection, though with voice capability emerging quickly this might be less so. Other points they make include the audience size, which might be quite large, and contextual cues, which are limited for text messages. Finally, they point out the ease of bypassing traditional gatekeepers and crossing functional and hierarchical boundaries (Philips & Eisenberg, 1993). These characteristics also serve as a list of both the advantages and strengths of e-mail, and the potential weaknesses and drawbacks of e-mail. One such weakness and drawback is the potential for abuse and misuse of e-mail in that it becomes the source and cause of information overload. People use e-mail in different ways, and for different purposes. In some cases, people use e-mail for one-to-one communication and in other cases, they use it for one-to-many communication. Whether sending to one or many, e-mail allows the user to send messages to distribute information. The information can be within the body of the e-mail message, contained in an attachment to the e-mail, or both. Furthermore, the information can be in the form of text, digitized voice, video, or image - or a combination of these forms. E-mail is a relatively informal mode of communication. According to Sproull and Kiesler (1991, 1995), new information flows into and through organizations primarily because of informal communication. E-mail is changing the relations within organizations and influencing how managers manage. Drucker (1980, 1982) argues new technologies have significant potential to drive and enable change within an organization. E-mail is one such technology today that is causing change. It is relatively new, and very Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5 popular in organizations. Ebert and Griffin (1998) support Drucker (1980, 1982) by citing one executive they interviewed; the executive spoke specifically of e-mail as “a major cultural event - it changes the way you run the organization” (p. 143). Then again, along with the perceived benefits of information technology in general, and e-mail in particular, there might also be a concern about how managers can manage their e-mail. Too much e-mail might cause information overload, which might lead further to undesirable consequences in terms of individual and organizational performance. Organizations, Communication, and Information Organizations are complex systems with complex tasks (Boulding, 1956). Inherent in the complexity of organizations and their tasks is the need for organizations to collect, process, distribute, store, and retrieve information to reduce business uncertainty, risk, and improve decision-making (March & Simon, 1958; Thompson, 1967). Morgan (1997) claims that, by their very nature, organizations are information systems, and Argyris (1971) calls organizations “information-processing systems” (p. 15). The organizational dependencies on information are clear, according to Galbraith (1973); information enables organizations to coordinate and integrate task performance of organizational subsystems and human resources. Scott (1998) describes contemporary organizations as cooperative units designed to pursue specific goals and objectives with a relatively high degree of structure; he said they are coordinated systems. In addition, Scott (1998) argues that modern-day organizations use communication to interconnect information and human resources, thereby suggesting that modern-day organizations depend on their ability to manage the flow of information to achieve their mission goals and objectives. In the age of the information and knowledge economy, the efficient and effective flow and use of information might be the difference between organizational survival and death. In 1949, Shannon and Weaver (1949, 1963) proposed information theory to construct a mathematical theory of communication to apply to a variety of information transfer situations between and within cultures. The theory has a fundamental linear assumption where communication is assumed to proceed between a sender and a receiver in a relatively liner fashion. In the model, the transmission process begins with a transmitter. The transmitter is responsible for the creation of a message. The transmitter is the source of messages exchanged between the transmitter and the receiver. A message is Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 what the transmitter sends, and can consist of a simple word, or complex text comprising of sound, pictures and the written word, in other words, all forms of information. Information flow within an organization occurs through some means of communication. Communication is defined by Greenberg and Baron (1993) as “the process by which a person, group, or organization (the sender) transmits some type of information (the message) to another person, group, or organization (the receiver)” (p. 489). Katz and Kahn (1978) argue that communication is “the very essence of a social system or an organization” (p. 428). Studying the flow of communication, Guetzkow and Simon (1960) examine three specific communication networks, each displaying either a centralized or a decentralized structure. In their study, Guetzkow and Simon describe three distinct and separate patterns. The first pattern is that of a wheel, in which communication flows to and from a hub through spokes. This pattern of communication, or network, is highly centralized with almost no lateral, or horizontal, communication. Guetzkow and Simon (1960) describe the next pattern of communication as a circle pattern. In this pattern, members of the organization might share information with one or several other members of the organization, although there is little communication across the whole organization. The final pattern they describe is an all-channel communication pattern. In the all-channel pattern, members of the organization might communicate with all other members in the organization in an unrestricted and decentralized manner. In other words, the all channel pattern offers an open climate of communication. The all-channel pattern of communication appears to be highly relevant today. This pattern might be the best fit for modern-day organizations, as they seek efficient and effective information flow. In addition, according to Guffey (1997), effective organizations discourage closed climates of communication. E-mail is highly suitable for enabling an all channel pattern of communication. Any interruption in the communication process or limitations and constraints inherent in the communication system might reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of the information flow and use. Shannon and Weaver (1949, 1963) introduce the notion of noise. They identify physical noise as being something such as mechanical or engineering noise introduced in the channel. In other words, physical noise is an unexplained variation in a communication channel or random error in the transmission of information. The other noise they introduce is semantic noise, which includes distractions, differences in use of the code (e.g., language), emphasis on the wrong part of the message, attitude toward the sender, and Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 attitude towards the message. Semantic noise is difficult to define. Nevertheless, Berio (1960) suggests the possibility that semantic noise might relate to people's knowledge level, their communication skills, their experience, and their prejudices. Semantic noise adversely affects and restricts communication. While Shannon and Weaver (1949, 1963) are primarily concerned with physical noise, it might be that semantic noise is a more prominent issue in the information age. E-mail messages are highly vulnerable to semantic noise as the senders of messages might overwhelm their receivers with poorly written, verbose, and possibly misdirected messages. Semantic noise might contribute to the experience of information overload. Interruptions, limitations and constraints, and noise, or any combination of these conditions applied to a communication system results in restricted communication, which might adversely affect the functioning of an organization. According to Guetzkow and Simon (1960), however, though much management literature suggests managers need to reduce restricted communication so they can achieve a better functioning organization, their research suggests something else. Their research finds that unrestricted communication might not necessarily lead to an effective and successful organization. Unrestricted communication might not lead to an effective and successful organization because of the unintended, and undesirable, consequences that are possible. The flow of unrestricted communication might result in an overabundance and an overwhelming amount of information for the receiver. The receiver might not be able to process adequately the information. By definition, this is a state of information overload. Katz and Kahn (1978) address this very condition in terms of information theory by arguing that unrestricted communication produces noise in the system, which might result in ineffective and inefficient communication and use of information. They recognize that organizations and individuals might have to deal with information overload when required to deal with more communication - information - input than that to which they are able and for which they are equipped. Information overload reduces productivity, reduces the value of information, and consumes valuable and limited organizational resources, such as time. Worst of all, information overload fails to reduce business uncertainty, complicates risk mitigation, and undermines timely and effective decision-making. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Information Overload Information overload is not a well-defined phenomenon. According to Bawden (2001), information overload is not a new concept and there is no single generally accepted definition. According to Bawden, the Royal Society was first to acknowledge explicitly information overload as a problem. The Royal Society did this at their Scientific Information Conference in 1948. Bawden states, however, academics and professionals alike did not consider information overload a major problem until the 1990s. Academics and professionals attribute the intensification of information overload to the influence and emergence of new technologies, in particular the convergence of computers and telecommunications - networks, and e-mail. Supporting this perspective are several reports of surveys of large numbers of business managers, professional literature, and feature stories in the news media. For example, Reuters (1996) produced one such report, “Dying for information.” In this report, Reuters reports that two thirds of the managers believe information overload is the cause of reduced job satisfaction, and almost half of those managers surveyed believe that having too much information adversely affects decision-making. Katz and Kahn (1978) define information overload as “communication input greater than the organization or certain of its components can handle” (p. 450). Naisbitt (1982, 1984) describes a condition he calls information pollution. This condition, according to Naisbitt, is one of “being inundated with technical data.” In addition, another perspective on the notion of information overload is Wurman’s (1991), as he regards being or feeling overwhelmed by information as a major cause of information anxiety. More recently, in a Reuters report (Bird, 1997), Bird references the condition of “information fatigue syndrome.” Bird argues that information overload causes this condition. Psychologist David Lewis first proposed information fatigue syndrome after he analyzed the findings from the first Reuters report (Heylighen, 1999). Bawden (2001) defines information overload as “a state in which available, and potentially useful, information is a hindrance rather than a help.” He associates information overload with “loss of control, inability to use information effectively,” and “inefficient work, and possible risk to health.” Simply defined, information overload is having too much information. Information overload is a pervasive problem for modern-day organizations. Automated and digital communication and information processing systems enable the social, economic and production activities of a modern-day organization. These automated and digital systems further enable members of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9 an organization though, to saturate potentially, the systems with information, thereby increasing the likelihood of overloading those with whom they communicate. Information overload is a growing problem and is complicating decision-making and not helping to reduce uncertainty. According to Jacoby (1984), people try to avoid information overload by consciously choosing not to process a portion of available information. Waddington (1997) argues, having too much information leads to “... paralysis of analysis, making it far harder to find the right solution or make the best decisions” (p. 50). Paralysis of analysis might be a source of stress and anxiety as well because it delays and most likely complicates decision making. E-mail E-mail is a computer technology, and today, technologies are at the heart of most tools used for disseminating information in organizations. E-mail is a generic term and somewhat ambiguous. Most people and literature, however, use the term to refer to computer-based messages, which means using a software application developed for creating, transmitting, and distributing messages through a computer network. Nonetheless, the formal definition of e-mail adopted by the Electronic Mail Association (EMA) is: Electronic mail is the generic name for non-interactive communication of text, data, image, or voice messages between sender and designated recipients by systems using telecommunications links (Caswell, 1988, p. 2). E-mail permits fast, efficient, and inexpensive exchange of information within an organization. Murphy, Hildebrandt, and Thomas (1997) claim, “E-mail is beginning to dominate day-to-day communications in business organizations” (p. 120). Scott (1998) argues that e-mail influences the flow and direction of communication in organizations. Consequently, as an information technology, e-mail appears to influence both organizations and individuals within those organizations. As a relatively recent technology, e-mail greatly influences the nature of communication within organizations. The first users of e-mail were on the ARPANET, a network initially created in the late 1960s to connect computers not people. However, by 1972, Ray Tomlinson of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman created the first electronic message delivery system, which was called “net notes” (Segaller, 1998). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10 According to historical records, in the entire first quarter of 1976 the volume of e-mail on the ARPANET was only 9,925 messages (Clemene, 1998). Electronic messaging capability drove the radical shift in the purpose and identity of ARPANET, a shift in purpose from computer-to-computer communication to people-to-people communication. This radical shift highlighted the network as a communication medium. This shift took place quickly and only in a few years and electronic messaging took hold in the business environment. According to Rose and Strom (1998), e-mail is a communication tool that has emerged in business only since the early 1980s. Caswell (1988) declares e-mail as “a technology that is useful at every level of operation in a company” (p. 3). In addition, Caswell (1988) argues that top executives must convince others in the organization to adopt the use of e-mail. This challenge appears evident in the findings of Rose and Strom (1998). They argue, almost ten years later that within the corporate setting, e-mail is still a relatively new means of communicating with colleagues, senior executives, subordinates, clients, and customers (Rose & Strom, 1998). E-mail is a highly popular means of communicating within most organizations, and in fact might be the most used software application within an organization. Robbins and Coulter (1999) promote e-mail as one communication tool that is “fast and cheap and can be used to send the same message to numerous people at the same time.” Robins and Coulter (1999) also state that e-mail “.. .is a quick and convenient way for organizational members to share information and communicate” (p.325). Taking a more balanced perspective on information and communication technologies however, Drucker (1980) points out that such technologies are either an opportunity or a threat depending on how well an organization manages and uses the technology. For instance, drawing from Drucker (1980), e-mail is a very powerful communication tool that is simple to use and easy to understand. Therefore, if organizations do not manage and use properly their e-mail technology, those advantages offered by e-mail might quickly turn to disadvantages, possibly manifesting in the form of information overload by e-mail. Using e-mail, people can easily communicate large volumes of textual and non-textual information. This might contribute to excessive input and overwhelm the receivers who must process information and make use of that information. Consequently, Robbins and Coulter (1999) argue that no Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11 matter the number of advantages offered by e-mail, the ease of sending e-mail might generate excessive information flow that could lead to information overload. Information Systems and Technology (ISAT) Support Office As previously stated, this research study focuses on a federal government organization, a small Department of Navy organization known as the Information Systems and Technology (ISAT), Support Office. The ISAT Support Office is part of a larger support organization that provides a variety of support services to designated and approved customers. An ideal candidate for case study, the ISAT Support Office was close and convenient for access to the research study participants. Close and convenient access allowed for close-up, detailed observation in the natural setting of the research study participants. Firsthand interaction and observation permitted the review and understanding of normal routines of participants’ e-mail practices and activities. This close observation and interaction contributed toward a more rich description of what occurred. In addition, the ISAT Support Office government employees are highly skilled and talented workers who know and understand how to use e-mail software applications. Furthermore, they use e-mail daily in the conduct of their work. The Department of Navy, ISAT Support Office provides a full range of information systems and technology support to designated programs within the Department of the Navy. The ISAT Support Office supports programs designated by the Chief of Naval Operations. Specifically, their mission is to provide complete and comprehensive management, analytical, engineering, programming, and technical support for all aspects of automation and information technology across the entire system or program life cycle. This support includes determination and definition of requirements, planning and development, acquisition, operations, maintenance, and disposal of systems. The ISAT Support Office supports core mission functions in the acquisition process, such as contracting, finance, logistics, cost analysis and estimating, security, administration and management, and engineering. ISAT administers and manages information technology (IT) governance processes for programs as directed by the Chief of Naval Operations. These responsibilities include capital planning and investment control, which they do through an IT investment review board and IT portfolio management process. They ensure that there exists an architecture or framework to guide the investment and continued support of IT systems. They ensure that there is focus on Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12 the mission goals and objectives when investing in IT, and there are proper measures of performance to determine the success of those investments. The ISAT Support Office has a workforce of approximately 110 technology professionals with a diverse skill mix, about 65 percent government employees and about 45 percent contractor employees. This workforce is structured and organized into three divisions. The director and three division heads comprise the senior management and leadership of the office. The three divisions are Enterprise Engineering, Corporate Infrastructure, and Customer Service and Operations. The ISAT Support Office is located predominantly in northern Virginia with members of the office also located in southeast Virginia, and in two locations in California. Thus, ISAT must account for geographic dispersion and time difference in the intercommunication amongst the workforce and their respective customers. The technical and administrative work performed by the ISAT Support Office is largely unclassified. However, the work they support and enable with their technology solutions is classified. As such, the ISAT Support Office conducts most of its business on a closed and highly secure network, which is accredited and certified to process classified information. This closed secure network, though, is analogous to the Internet, or more appropriately, to a corporate Intranet. This network is global in scope and supports well over one thousand users. The ISAT Support Office designed, developed, implemented, and now maintains this network. In addition, they use the network for the conduct of their business; specifically they use e-mail extensively in their daily routine of administration, management, and operation of their business. The e-mail application available on this network is IBM Lotus Notes (hereafter referred to as Notes). Notes is more than an e-mail application, however, it is an environment with many functional capabilities or applications. Every user of Notes can send and receive e-mail, and every Notes application is automatically e-mail-enabled. The Notes program design assumes implementation in a network environment and assumes the need for sharing and exchanging information among users on the network. The Notes software application allows individual users to access their own e-mail, calendars, and other documents, and permits easy sharing and exchanging of information with other network users. Notes e-mail also supports compound e-mail messages. A compound e-mail message can contain text, images, graphics, sound, and motion picture images, or any combination of these forms. Inherent in its design is a Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13 storage facility through which users can access, track, store, retrieve, and organize messages and information. Research Study Methodology As stated previously, the purpose of this research study is to explore and understand how members of a federal government organization, the Department of Navy ISAT Support Office handle or manage e-mail in order to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload from e-mail. This research study applies a multi-methodology approach that employed both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. To investigate the contemporary phenomenon of information overload within the real-life context of the e-mail environment used within the ISAT Support Office. This research study draws on the inductive process that generalizes on the particular data collected through multiple methods. A unique data collection process was employed that called for data being collected from multiple and different sources. This triangulation strategy was a means to corroborate evidence and help explain more clearly the phenomenon under study. This research includes data collected from surveys, record reviews, and interviews with members of the ISAT Support Office. Conclusions come from the analysis of the triangulated data. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), each conclusion “explains the facts, and the facts support the conclusion.” Research Propositions This research study is exploratory and therefore, defined by research propositions. Each research proposition is a statement about the research concepts of interest in this study and that one can judge as true or false. The research propositions are: Pronosition 1 Department of Navy employees are required to use e-mail daily as a means of basic communication in the workplace. Proposition 2 Department of Navy employees use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 Proposition 3 Department of Navy employees using e-mail experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. Proposition 4 Department of Navy employees use e-mail for more than basic communications in their workplace: a. They use e-mail as a file system. b. They use e-mail as a database. c. They use e-mail as an archive. Proposition 5 Department of Navy employees develop e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use of e-mail: a. They sort e-mail in ways that allow them to arrange messages by various attributes such as by sender or date received. b. They apply various strategies for deleting messages. c. They apply various strategies when archiving messages. d. They apply various strategies to organize e-mail messages. Significance This research has several practical implications. By exploring how individuals manage their e-mail, any findings supporting the experience of information overload might potentially inform other individuals of the nature of the phenomenon, and suggest methods for either avoiding it or better managing it. In addition, supportive findings might potentially inform individuals of the negative implications and consequences of the phenomenon of information overload within e-mail systems. A third practical implication of supportive findings might inform individuals about how they might better use e-mail for more effective and efficient communication. Helping users send e-mail messages that will get the receivers’ attention and receivers detect what is relevant and important to their work. A fourth practical implication of supportive findings might potentially inform managers and administrators of the implications and consequences to the organization. Given the characteristics of the phenomenon of information overload within e-mail systems, and given the reliance upon e-mail as a communication medium, managers and administrators could use e-mail more effectively as an organization-wide Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15 communication medium. The final implication to consider is that such findings might inform e-mail system developers, IBM in particular, when improving their e-mail software functionality. For example, knowing the practice of reading incoming e-mail, actions taken with it, and overall perception of use, developers might design better interfaces for displaying messages. Developers might consider developing multiple options for structuring repositories for saving and archiving messages. They might develop better retrieval and search functions. Finally, developers might develop better filtering mechanisms for keeping less useful and less relevant information from taking one’s time and attention, thereby reducing the potential for information overload. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction This chapter summarizes the relevant literature for this research study. This research study will look into information overload as it might manifest in an e-mail environment and examines how individuals within the organization manage their e-mail to avoid or at least mitigate the manifestation of information overload from e-mail. Information Though Shannon refers to his work as his mathematical theory of communication, others refer to his work as the authoring of information theory (Shannon & Weaver, 1949, 1963). Information theory is a composite of a universal measure of the notion of information, the binary digit, or bit; a model of a linear communication process; and, a series of twenty-three mathematical propositions about channel capacity. Shannon describes information as negative entropy, such that entropy is the amount of uncertainty when presented with a choice (Shannon & Weaver, 1949, 1963). In mathematical terms, Shannon proposes that the measure of information is the logarithmic function that expresses the choice of one message (pattern of signals) from the set of all possible messages (Shannon & Weaver, 1949). Wiener (1950) visualizes information as part of the process of adjustment to the outer world that any system makes. Wiener postulates that, in a system, information counters entropy, and postulates that a system decays when it can no longer process information from the environment or communicate information within the system (Wiener, 1950; Wiener, 1961). The founder of cybernetics, Wiener (1950) coined the phrase “cybernetics” in order to embrace the field he describes as a complex of ideas. This complex of ideas consists of studies of language, of messages as a means of controlling machinery and society, of the development of computing machines and other such automata, and reflections on psychology and the nervous system (p. 23). In his work, Wiener (1961) expresses a definition of information that poses information as something other than matter or energy, “Information is information, not matter or energy” (p.5). Kirschenmann (1970) explains further Wiener’s (1961) point by stating, “The assumption of only two components of reality - materiality and spirituality - is based on a simplification since there is always a remnant which cannot be assigned to either Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17 and which cybernetics designates with the word ‘information’” (p. 7). Rogers (1986) takes a similar, but different perspective by combining matter and energy to define information. Rogers (1986) describes information as patterned matter-energy that affects the probability of selecting a particular alternative in a decision-making situation. These varying perspectives clearly reinforce Wiener’s (1961) point when he suggests, “The fact that one finds so many different meanings for the word ‘information’ has led some to suggest that it is an irreducible term” (p. 7). The literature reveals three perspectives on information. There is literature that describes information as a thing, information as a process, and information because of manipulation. Ruben (1993) supports this by defining three types of information: first order, second order, and third order information. ■ Information e - (First Order Information): Environmental artifacts and representations; environmental data, stimuli, messages, or cues. ■ Information; - (Second Order Information): Individualized, internal appropriations and representations. ■ Information s - (Third Order Information): Socially constructed, negotiated, validated, sanctioned, and/or privileged appropriations, representations, and artifacts. (Ruben, 1993, p.225) Most academics agree that information is ephemeral and cognitive. Yet, many academics discuss and explore the concept of information by imagining it as a thing. Ruben (1988) defines information as “... a coherent collection of data, messages, or cues organized in a particular way that has meaning or use for a particular human system” (p. 19). Diener (1989) describes information as a thing in clear terms by highlighting six specific properties that make information unique in terms of matter and energy: Information is an entity; but a thing exists without mass or energy.... Information exists primarily in the societal universe: the domain of human, and societal, interaction.... Some of the properties of information that make it unique, and so difficult to understand, are: (a )... it is an intangible entity not made of matter or energy; (b )... it can be reproduced and shared without loss and may even be enhanced through use; (c) it has veracity or at least a relative truth value; (d) it has a lifecycle and is ephemeral; (e) it must be processed to exist... (f) it exists in two states: subjective [in the mind as “image”] and objective [in society in “language”]. (Diener, 1989, p 17) It is clear that one can encode information in material objects such as books, disks, letters, and other material forms - things. Therefore, there is no surprise that some scholars take this as their perspective on information (Diener, 1989; Ruben 1988). In addition, the development of technologies for storing, retrieving, and manipulating data support a perspective that information is a thing (Buckland, 1991). Sharing or exchanging information among others requires the act of transmission, and this act Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18 relates to what scholars refer to as communication. One transmits objects from one’s self (sender) to another or others (receiver(s)). A second perspective on information is that of information as a process and not as a thing. It is a process in the sense that information is part of the act of informing or sharing. Belkin and Robertson (1976) put it this way, “Information is that which is capable of transforming structures” (p. 198). According to Huber and Daft (1987), much of the research on how and why people share information covers the quantity of information people share, and the quality, and the extent to which people usefully and accurately summarize information. In addition, Huber (1991), concerning disseminating information, proposes several hypotheses. He suggests that several factors influence (either increase or reduce) the likelihood of information exchange between people and or business units within an organization: ■ Expected relevance to recipient ■ Power and status of recipient ■ Costs of sharing information, including the number of sequential links in the communication chain between originator and recipient ■ Workload of information originator ■ Expected results of information sharing such as rewards or penalties, and frequency with which originator has previously sent information to recipient (Huber, 1991, p. 101) A third perspective of information combines information with the concept of manipulation. Fox (1983) and Hayes (1969) provide two supporting definitions. Fox (1983) states that if information is an entity communicated among two or more individuals, then “the information carried by a sentence S is a proposition appropriately associated with S” (p. 389). Hayes (1969) states that information is a result of a process applied to data where the process might be transmission, selection, organization, or analysis. Considering all three perspectives on information, information as a thing, a process, and a result of manipulation, all have a dependence on the notion of communication for them to result. Communication Barnard (1938, 1989) says, “The first executive function is to develop and maintain a system of communication.” Barnard (1938, 1989) argues that doing this “.. .involves both a scheme of organization and an executive personnel” (p. 271). Shannon and Weaver’s (1949) work on mathematical theory of communication revolves around the concept of communication as transmission. However, Shannon and Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19 Weaver vary in their definitions of communication. Weaver’s definition has greater influence because Weaver defines communication in a context more suitable to the social sciences. Weaver’s definition is, “The word communication will be used here in a very broad sense to include all producers by which one mind may affect another. This, of course, involves not only written and oral speech, but also music, the pictorial arts, the theater, the ballet, and in fact all human behavior” (Shannon & Weaver, 1949, p. 3). In contrast, Shannon’s definition is more consistent with communication as transmission and its engineering properties of fidelity and noise. Shannon’s definition is, “... reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point” (Shannon & Weaver, 1949, p. 31). The literature on communication reveals three perspectives on communication: as transmission, as sharing, and as a system. The perspective of communication as transmission creates the relationship between information and communication. Researchers refer to this perspective as the mechanistic model of communication. The mechanistic model is rooted in the logic of mathematical theories of communication, information theory, and cybernetics (Daft & Lengel, 1986; Shannon & Weaver, 1949; Wiener, 1948). Researchers study the communication processes in organizations to understand the meaning and performance outcomes resulting from communications (Daft & Huber, 1987; Fulk & Boyd, 1991). Most scholars subscribing to the mechanistic model believe that communication is a process of movement, and that the communication moves information. According to Emery et al. (1963), communication is among human beings and is the art of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes from one person to another or many others. Others further support this definition, though with slightly different terms. Miller (1951) defines communication such that information passes from one place to another, while Newcomb (1966) describes every act of communication as a transmission of information, which has discriminative stimuli, from a source to a recipient. Miller (1966) defines communication such that it has a central interest in behavioral situations where a source transmits a message to a receiver(s) with the deliberate intent to affect the receiver(s)’ behavior. This perspective largely treats information as content of a process. The perspective of communication as sharing creates the relationship between information and the content of the process of communication. Schramm and Roberts (1971) introduce this perspective in their work. There is much to study about the connection between sharing and communication. This work led to Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20 scholars looking at communication taking place across all senses and through many media simultaneously. For example, communication scholars now consider nonverbal gestures and tactile exchanges part of the communication act. As it pertains to sharing, Schramm (1971) defines communication as the sharing of an orientation toward a set of informational signs that exist and have meaning in a relationship. Gover (1970) connects sharing and communication by drawing on the Latin meaning of communication, “to make common.” Gover (1970) defines communication as a sharing experience, regardless of the event or method of transmission; it is a specific event culminating in some degree of sharing. The perspective of communication as a system creates a relationship between information and the complex patterns that might arise from the process of communication. Scholars use systems theory to focus on patterns that might exist, as systems theory offers scholars the idea of interactive pieces that result in something greater than the sum of the pieces (Buckley, 1967; Krippendorff 1977; Miller, 1965; Ruben, 1972). Applying systems theory also supports the notion of communication as sharing because it reduces the ambiguities inherent in the concept of sharing. Ruben (1992) describes human communication as a process through which individuals in relationships, groups, organizations, and societies create, transmit, and use information. Ruben (1992) argues that they use information to relate to their environment and one another. This description has the properties of systems theory with components and boundaries. According to Thayer (1968), communication is an essential function of people and organizations through which the person and the organization relate to their environment, and relate to their various parts and the internal processes through which the parts interact with one another. Gerbner (1966) describes communication as social interaction through symbols and message systems. These descriptions and definitions clearly reflect the theme of interaction. The interaction is about and over information in forms such as symbols, ideas, words, images, graphs, and messages. Organizations and Information The early literature on organizations and information draws on the work from various communication frameworks. Krone, Jablin, and Putnam (1987) point out four approaches taken in the early work on information. The first focuses on the transmission process, the second focuses on the psychological affects, the third on shared-meaning, and the fourth focuses on systems-interaction. Other Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21 literature focuses on information in the organization through one of two popular models; one is that of organizations as information processing structures, and the other is that of organizations as decision making systems that rely upon information. Both models focus attention on the information exchange processes inherent in organizations. These two models cut across the approaches pointed out by Krone, Jablin, and Putnam (1987) in their work. The literature reveals many perspectives on organizations and information. From the individual perspective, some literature focuses on the internal dynamics of information exchange (Duncan, 1972; March & Simon, 1993). Another perspective is the information design perspective, a macro perspective on systems design; this literature focuses on organization and environmental relations (Galbraith, 1973). Other literature offers an analysis of the affects of individual decision and evaluation behavior on organizational choices and outcomes (Cyert & March, 1992; March & Simon, 1993; Simon, 1957). Galbraith (1973) describes organizations as being structures that process information. As information processing systems, organizations depend upon their communication processes to bring together the necessary elements of the organization, enable coordination of, and act on task activities. According to Euske and Roberts (1987), the architecture of an organizational communication system is a critical factor in the communication system being a successful control and integration tool. Galbraith (1973) argues that information moves up and down the hierarchical channels within an organization, and that information is what managers need to make decisions. Daft and Weick (1984) also describe organizations as hierarchical entities that process information through hierarchical channels, channels that by their very nature receive, use, and send information. In his work, Wildavsky (1983) notes that hierarchical channels calculatingly limit information flows to decision-makers. Wildavsky (1983) further argues that organizations exist to suppress data, and that they screen some data in and screen most data out. In addition, Daft and Weick (1984) suggest screening does occur as they note that of the many functions of management, one function is to take information from different people at lower levels and interpret it for use. Wildavsky (1983) argues that organizations reduce their data to usable proportions through the very structure of the organization; the hierarchical nature supports information filtering, both up and down the hierarchy. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22 In his seminal work, Simon (1976) argues that public administration is a discipline that highly relates to decision-making. Decision-making is important to any organization and has significant affect on achieving organizational goals. The most basic definition of decision-making is choosing between alternatives, or as Barnard (1938, 1989) put it, “the processes of decision ... are largely techniques for narrowing choice.” To narrow choices and to make smart choices requires accurate, relevant and timely information, and processing of that information. The information and processing of that information is for the purpose of reducing uncertainty and making decisions. Simon (1976) describes the interrelationship between individuals and organizations as decision-making. Simon (1991) notes that the capacity of managers to process information and use it effectively is a scarce resource, more so than information itself, since most organizations exist within information-rich environments. Huber and McDaniel (1986) recommend viewing organizations as principally decision-making units, where information design and information processing strategies focus on achieving better decision outcomes. Huber and McDaniel (1986) chose the decision-making argument because of environmental complexity and instability, favoring timeliness and effectiveness of decisions over throughput and ease-of-use of information. Management must determine whether information is reducing environmental uncertainty and complexity, and thereby resulting in better decisions. Galbraith (1974) suggests that there are two choices for managing environmental uncertainty and they are first, reduce the need for information processing by reducing external dependencies, and second increase capacity for information processing. Earlier work by Thompson (1967) and Ashby (1956) support these choices. The first choice reduces exposure to uncertainty by keeping information on hand and by having redundant capability (Thompson, 1967). The second choice reflects the idea that by aligning organizational response and environmental variety, an organization deals with uncertainty more efficiently (Ashby, 1956). In addition to information mechanisms, structural mechanisms for management control of the environment exist in the form of specialists, special roles, and feedback-loops (Tushman & Nadler, 1978). These structural mechanisms also take into account task complexity, degree of task interdependence, and amount of environmental uncertainty to be reduced (Tushman & Nadler, 1978). Boundary spanning roles are an example of enabling hierarchical and lateral interaction intended to facilitate monitoring and controlling environmental information (Galbraith, 1974; Aldrich & Herker, 1977). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23 Huber (1990) suggests that organizations have processing nodes at their edges, that might be either human or technological, or both, for passing messages from external sources to internal sources for use in decision-making. Simon (1991) supports this idea by arguing that organizations must have an interface for taking in information selectively, and having the ability to translate and integrate that information into the internal flows and processes, and information systems of the organization. Individual members of an organization process and use information in order to make decisions. Too much information impedes processing and use of information because an individual can only absorb but so much. In their work, March and Simon (1958) suggest that individual members are “boundedly rational” in their decision-making, where individuals simplify their choices by not trying to consider all possibilities. Information is seldom perfect and complete, conditions are not static and time and cost factors are limitations that bound the individual. Through a bounded and rational process, individuals arrive at the decision that is good enough or satisfactory; this reduces the need for information, and Simon calls this process “satisficing.” Clearly, March and Simon (1958) demonstrate that uncertainty also has an internal dimension to it, an uncertain environment within organizations. Extending the work of March and Simon, Tversky and Kahneman (1974), introduce the judgmental heuristics and biases model. The individual uses heuristics to simplify choices and reduce the need for information. This use of heuristics, however, makes the individual vulnerable to systematically biased outcomes in their decision-making (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). This introduces individuals as sources of uncertainty given biases vary across individuals. Other research indicates there are environmental incentives for individuals to collect more information than they need. Feldman and March (1981) support this point in their work. Feldman and March (1981) state that individuals collect more information than they need for one of two reasons: either because people who collect data might be different from those who process the data, or because they believe they are more likely to be criticized for not collecting enough information than for collecting too much. Individuals collecting or receiving large amounts of information must organize it for effective use. Individuals with too much information or inappropriate information might experience information overload. Individuals with information overload have difficulty interpreting information and gleaning its value. Organizational members may encounter a problem of “information entropy” in which they do not Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24 recognize the importance or relevance of information received. The literature on information processing suggests there are many factors that people and organizations consider when considering the use of information processing technologies to help manage information. Kerr and Hiltz (1982) identify four sets of issues to consider when determining how easy it is to integrate such tools into organizations for processing information. Kerr and Hiltz (1982) state, “System characteristics: the capabilities and requirements of the ... system itself; Task characteristics: the requirements of the work for which a system is used; Attributes of users: the knowledge, skills, and interests of the people...; and, Attributes of the group or organization, such as organizational structures and norms” (p.6). Communication and information processing technologies support and promote dissemination of greater quantities and varieties of information (Huber & Daft, 1987). For example, in the case of e-mail systems, studies indicate that the total volume of communication is most likely to increase (Huber, 1990; Nohria & Eccles, 1992). Another study reinforces this point by reporting that 60 percent of the e-mail messages received by study participants had information that was not expected. In addition, the recipients did not know most of the senders of these e-mail messages (Kraemer & Danziger, 1990). An important part of organizational core competence is the intellectual ability of individuals and their cognitive ability for handling information (Lei, Hitt, & Bettis, 1996). Knowing how organizational communication systems affect individuals and how individuals handle information messages should be of interest to managers and administrators concerned with developing or sustaining organizational core competence (Crossan, Lane, & White, 1998). The behavior, beliefs, and perceptions of individuals are important study factors because as individuals engage in information handling activities for the organization (Cyert & March, 1963; March & Simon, 1958), they represent intellectual and competitive advantage to the organization (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). E-mail: Communication and Information As noted earlier, there is a range of factors that affect the acceptance and use of information technologies in general, and that might apply to the use of e-mail in particular. The factors that might affect the acceptance of e-mail are the capabilities and requirements of the e-mail system; users’ knowledge, skills, and interests in using e-mail; and the norms of the group using the e-mail system (Kerr Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25 & Hiltz, 1982). Organizations invest in communication systems such as e-mail to gain benefit. In addition, organizations expect e-mail systems to have an impact on organizations as participants make sense of their environments (Culnan & Markus, 1987). Because an e-mail system makes it easier for people to communicate, organizations are likely to result in having more people serving as sources of information. E-mail and other forms of computer- mediated communication make it easier for people in different organizations and locations to communicate (Nohria & Eccles, 1992) or for people to communicate across internal boundary lines within the same organization. Furthermore, e-mail promotes communication across boundaries of professional disciplines, as people in different professional communities of practice establish common spaces for dialogue (Brent, 1994). E-mail facilitates information acquisition and provisioning. For example, workers can solicit for or disseminate information in many forms using e-mail. One can send through e-mail information forms such as reports, project results, or any material relevant to the coveted information. E-mail is a mechanism for accessing the knowledge resources of an organization, such as other people. In their work Sproull and Kiesler (1991) note that some people serve as information buffers, and when they receive information through e-mail, they hold that information in a readily accessible form. Research on the use of e-mail by work group participants highlights the importance of cultural norms within the organization as critical to ensure that people use e-mail and are willing to communicate effectively by using it (Finholt & Sproull, 1990). Yet other research stresses the impact of e-mail message content. The ability and willingness to use e-mail is affected by the amount of irrelevant or unusable message traffic one receives (Denning, 1982; Hiltz & Turoff, 1985; Malone et al., 1987). Research studies of e-mail in the workplace indicate significant amounts of e-mail traffic is exchanged between workers with a high degree of similarity in their work tasks or, in fact, are working on the same task. In addition, studies indicate people exchange much of the e-mail with others who are in close proximity, and not with those who are more geographically remote. The RAND Corporation conducted one of those e-mail studies. According to Bikson and Eveland (1988), the RAND study reveals that a large amount of message traffic went to people in the immediate vicinity of the sender and not to people remotely located. Notwithstanding the findings in the RAND study, other research studies support Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26 the ideas that e-mail systems inherently have great potential for eliminating impediments to communication such as distance, volume in terms of both quantity and content, and speed. Nohria and Eccles (1992) report in their work that e-mail users are able to increase the range, quantity, and velocity of information distribution. In addition, by using e-mail people are sharing information with larger and broader groups of people, both inside and outside of their organization. According to Malone et al. (1987), distribution lists are the most common way for individuals to use e-mail in sharing information across an organization. Distribution lists are groupings of individuals based on some organizational, professional or social construct such as work unit, professional community of interest, or some other qualifier. Distribution lists are either discretionary or non-discretionary in terms of participation by the individuals. Discretionary lists consist of individuals of informal groups, groups where membership is voluntary (Finholt & Sproull, 1990). In order to manage and limit the volume of information with which they deal, individuals filter information, and in part, they do this by limiting the number of distribution lists to which they belong (Finholt & Sproull, 1990). Supporting this point, Mackay (1988) states that in order to increase the potential value of information received, and to reduce the burden of processing it, individuals filter their e-mail by limiting their sources. According to Mackay (1988), one study indicates that e-mail users avoid high volumes of e-mail by restricting the number of discretionary lists to which they belong. E-mail enables and facilitates access to information and information assets, such as the human capital of an organization - the knowledge and experience of its individuals. By using e-mail as a means of exchanging information and for tapping the knowledge and experience of individuals, the organization benefits because most e-mail systems provide an opportunity to record and keep for future reference any communication or exchange. E-mail is one channel of access to information archives created within a messaging system (Lotus, 1999). Individuals have the option to manage e-mail messages through a folder construct to help organize the information and create a structure for the repository characteristic of the e-mail system (Lansdale, 1988). For example, an organization might create a folder with frequently asked questions and the respective answers, thereby creating a knowledge base for eliminating the need for a human resource to respond continuously to common questions. Ultimately, this approach reduces information overload. Sproull and Kiesler (1991) report such a case where access to archives of questions and answers occurs approximately 1,000 times per month. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27 E-mail enables the swapping of information contained in files, information in a format for one of the many common software applications such as word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. E-mail enables forwarding and sharing of such information very easily. These are, in part, the reasons for the acceleration of the use of e-mail. Not all is positive with e-mail, however. E-mail does not preclude the receipt of redundant, inaccurate, unreliable, irrelevant, or marginally relevant information. E-mail appears to be most suited to sharing explicit, formal information (Hiltz & Turoff, 1985; Malone et al., 1987). E-mail can exacerbate problems of information overload by providing too much information, too fast, and that might be poorly structured. Information systems, such as e-mail, facilitate communication of information, but do not organize or structure that information for use. Tools for mitigating these drawbacks include e-mail filters that permit e-mail users to block unwanted e-mail messages. Techniques for managing e-mail include application of basic organization skills that might include creating other message folders for keeping e-mail messages based on the organization scheme that best supports the use of that information. E-mail and Overload Organizations are complex systems with complex tasks (Boulding, 1956), and one of their primary goals is to reduce business uncertainty (Knight, 1921; March & Simon, 1958). Organizations reduce their business uncertainty by collecting, processing, storing, retrieving, and using information efficiently and effectively. Organizations rely on their people to use information for coordinating and integrating the resources available to them in performing their tasks (Galbraith, 1973). People, however, have a limited capacity for handling information. According to Galbraith (1973), when complexity of a situation increases and demands on the decision-maker increases, an overload situation might develop where the individual’s information handling capacity might be exceed. Galbraith (1973) proposes two possibilities for dealing with increasing demands: (1) to reduce the information necessary to coordinate and integrate resources, or (2) to increase the capacity to handle information. Information overload is not simply a personal nuisance; it has an impact on organizational performance. Overload lowers productivity, devalues information, and wastes organizational resources. At its worst, information overload undermines decision making by causing coordination and integration failure (Galbraith, 1973). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 28 The human cognitive function as it relates to processing information combines with the information processing technology to form the communication and distribution of information (Galbraith, 1974; Simon, 1976; Tushman & Nadler, 1978). Information processing and communication technologies aid human functions such as symbol recognition, thinking, and memory (Newell & Simon, 1972; Simon, 1973). Coordinating and integrating resources depends upon information therefore; information is a crucial dynamic in professional communication-behavior (Leifer, 1975; Lysonski, Singer, & Wilemon, 1988). Many factors determine the effectiveness of the people as thinkers and doers, and one such factor is the formal lines of authority in the organizational structure (Lysonski, Levas, & Lavenka, 1995). Other factors determining the effectiveness of people are their level of involvement and participation in decision-making (John & Martin, 1984), and the degree of formalization in their communication behavior (Jablin, 1987). Less formal factors influence cognitive performance as well. Holland (1970) and, Pelz and Andrews (1976) point to factors for consideration such as social networks, degree of support in the work environment, personal behavior and, social and professional status in the workplace. The cognitive process of interpreting information is vital to performing assigned tasks and for achieving organizational mission goals (Daft & Weick, 1984). In their work, Kahn et al. (1964) describe a dilemma facing managers in an organization such that managers face the choice between complexity and uncertainty, and overload. Individuals’ cognitive abilities are strained as they take in, process, store, retrieve, and transmit more and more information, possibly overloading cognitive abilities. Looking at the individual as the information processor, overloading of information stresses the individual and thereby undermines decision-making. Decision making quality drops because of sub-optimal cue processing behaviors when people experience an increase in stress (Easterbrook, 1959; Eysenck, 1993). Yet theories about organizational uncertainty suggest that individuals and organizations should assess all information for business value (Huber, 1991; March & Simon, 1958; Thompson, 1967; Tushman & Nadler, 1978). Individuals and organizations need to use all information that has the potential for reducing uncertainty and risk (Duncan, 1972; Milliken, 1987). However, information fatigue syndrome is consistent with features cited in empirical studies of decision making under stressful conditions (Montgomery, 1989; Payne, Bettman & Johnson, 1993; Ranyard, Crozier & Svenson, 1997; Svenson & Maule, 1993). Therefore, the challenge to organizations and individuals is to Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29 handle the maximum amount of information possible, to manage better their information and mitigate information overload. E-mail has many benefits; however, the amount of irrelevant or unusable message traffic one receives affects individual ability and willingness to use e-mail (Denning, 1982; Hiltz & Turoff, 1985; Malone et al., 1987). There are three important studies documenting the popular use of e-mail in organizations, all three focusing on the notion of information overload. The first study identifies issues that lead to information overload in e-mail (Whittaker & Sidner, 1996). The second study confirms some of the results and extends the findings of the first study, but also reveals how users manage e-mail to avoid information overload (Balter, 1998). The third study confirms the work of the first two studies, and further explores the attitudes of the users towards the use of e-mail and information overload because of e-mail (Lantz, 1998). E-mail imposes a burden on both the sender and receiver. The sender takes the time to compose the message, determine the recipients, and then must process replies. The receiver must take the time to determine the relevance of the message received, and if relevant respond accordingly. Individuals use time to manage e-mail messages retained. There is the time spent filing, searching, reorganizing, and removing (deleting unwanted) messages. Like other resources, shaped and directed by structure, time is an organizational resource in limited supply (McGrath & Kelly, 1986). Time is the temporal structure of information processing (Simon, 1973). Bluedom and Denhardt (1988), and McGrath and Kelly (1986), discuss synchronizing temporal structures because they constrain information flows. Studies reveal that some people delete messages without reading them as a time saving measure and mitigation strategy for information overload. However, most people read the messages before deciding what to do with the message. In either situation, individuals consume time deciding on the appropriate action to take in order to manage e-mail. The time spent handling or managing e-mail messages is a cost to all the recipients, and this cost must be in balance with the value and benefit of the information sent in the e-mail messages (Sproull & Kiesler, 1991). In addition to the time resource consumed by handling or managing e-mail, there is the potential for interruptions. According to Lantz (1998), e-mail is a common source of interruptions because many users have their e-mail system setup to notify them when new messages arrive, and they tend to messages Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30 as they arrive. The work of Balter (1998) and Lantz (1998) indicates e-mail users read e-mail several times a day if not continuously, consuming large amounts of valuable time. One possible reason for this constant vigilance over e-mail is the changing role and use of e-mail systems. Many individuals use the e-mail application for much more than the original purpose for which e-mail systems were developed, which was simple asynchronous communication. Today, users rely on their e-mail system as an environment within which they can achieve so much more. This is so because many e-mail systems offer much more capability and functionality than simple asynchronous communication (Lotus, 1999). Individuals use e-mail systems as time management and task management tools, and for archiving and retrieving information (Mackay, 1988; Whittaker & Sidner, 1996; Balter, 1998). Whittaker and Sidner (1996) discover that some individuals let their in-boxes grow to contain hundreds, and sometimes thousands of messages. Lantz (1998) argues that there is a correlation between the number of e-mail messages in an individual’s in-box and the number of e-mail handling problems the individual experiences. Individuals vary in their ability and capacity for handling or managing e-mail, where the volume that one person can handle might mean overload to another (Mackay, 1988). E-mail system users sometimes feel that they are information overloaded by the volume of information messages they receive, either volume with regard to number of messages or content of messages, or both. However, experienced users generally develop ways of coping with the volume of information they receive (Hiltz & Turoff, 1985). Malone et al. (1987) argue that e-mail users reduce their cost and burden of handling and managing information shared electronically through e-mail by filtering messages. Filtering helps mitigate information overload. Hiltz and Turoff (1985) suggest that users filter messages on a range of criteria, and these criteria fall into three categories: cognitive, social, and economic. Looking at cognitive filtering, it focuses on message content, social filtering focuses on the identity of the message sender and the relationships between senders and receivers, and economic filtering focuses on the benefits and costs of sending and processing messages. Some suggest that automated tools and filters can fix the information overload problem experienced when using e-mail. For example, they recommend using information filters, network restrictions, and other data management tools (Gibbs, 1998). There are research studies that focus on the role of e-mail system structures in reducing and controlling information overload (Malone et al., 1987). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 31 Another research study reported by Motiwalla and Aiken (1993) identifies a tool with functionality that will channel messages to users based on expected information needs. In their work, Resnick et al. (1994) report about another system that limits and filters information overload in Usenet newsgroups on the Internet. Nonetheless, others argue that formal research studies do not support these strategies. In addition, they argue that research supports the concern that individual information needs sometimes do not reflect the organizational needs. Therefore, individual filtering of information threatens tailoring information access to differentiate and integrate task-specific roles and functions (Daft & Huber, 1987; Galbraith, 1973; Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967). Handling or managing e-mail is a problem in organizations today. Jones et al. (1990) report that the users feel increasingly overwhelmed with the amount of e-mail they receive. Balter (1998) reports in his work that 63% of e-mail users report having problems keeping up with their e-mail traffic. In their work Whittaker and Sidner (1996), report that the average e-mail messages per in-box, at the time of their study, was 2,500. Consequently, researchers must examine how people handle or manage their e-mail to avoid or mitigate information overload. The users’ abilities to handle or manage information overload, however, are constrained and limited by several factors. Balter (1998) points out that the users’ environmental constraints and limitations include the e-mail application tool itself as the organization makes that selection. The organizational policies on the use of e-mail, organizational norms, and individual skills and abilities are other limiting and constraining factors. E-mail: Management Though e-mail is popular in organizations today, a review of the definition is helpful. In searching for a definition, however, there is not a common or generally accepted definition. For example, the following definitions of e-mail come from two different on-line dictionaries. Each definition defines e-mail from a slightly different perspective. The first definition is "A service that sends messages on computers via local or global networks" (Computer User High-Tech Dictionary, 2002), and the second is “1: a means or system for transmitting messages electronically (as between terminals linked by telephone lines or microwave relays) 2: a message sent electronically <sent him an E-mail>” (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, 2002). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 32 In the research literature, there was not much difference. Vervest’s (1985) definition of e-mail is, “Electronic mail is the electronic, one-dimensional transfer of information in the form of a message, via an intermediate (tele-) communication system, from an identified sending party to one or more identified receiving parties” (p. 15). According to Caswell (1988), the formal definition of e-mail adopted by the Electronic Mail Association (EMA) is, “Electronic mail is the generic name for non-interactive communication of text, data, image, or voice messages between sender and designated recipients by systems using telecommunications links” (p. 2). Another example is any correspondence one sends over a computer that contains text, audio, or other information (Murphy et al., 1997; Parsons & Oja, 1997). A final example is “written messages automatically transmitted via computer systems and computer networks in a standardized format allowing communication between disparate systems and diverse locations in geography and time” (“personal communication,” Baczewski, 2001). To facilitate e-mail management, most e-mail software has a basic construct for receiving and retaining e-mail messages. Users know of this construct as the in-box. The in-box is a software folder with a listing of e-mail messages. Typically, the user can order the listing of e-mail messages by a given number of characteristics. For example, the user can order or sort e-mail messages in the in-box by date received, by sender, by subject, and possibly other characteristics accounted for in a given e-mail application. In addition, the user can search for messages by characteristics or content as allowed by the specific software application. Finally, most e-mail software allows the user to create other software folders as a means of creating a repository structure for e-mail messages. The user can create a hierarchical structure of folders for saving e-mail messages. The user moves e-mail messages the user does not want to keep in the in-box, but wants to retain for future use, into these folders. The user can label or name these folders according to any scheme the user desires. The user can apply the sorting and searching capabilities of the e-mail software application to these folders as well. However, research indicates filing and retrieving e-mail messages are one of the biggest problems with e-mail systems, and might explain why information overload in e-mail systems is a problem (Lantz, 1998; Whittaker & Sidner, 1996). It is difficult to establish and maintain a folder hierarchy for storing e-mail messages. It is time consuming and requires significant effort. In addition, Balter (1997) reports that establishing and maintaining a folder hierarchy is cognitively challenging as well. According to Whittaker and Sidner Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 33 (1996), a disincentive to creating folders is the potential for those folders to be useless and irrelevant because it assumes the user knows and understands how they recall information. Balter (1997) cites that those who experience problems managing their e-mail messages also have difficulties determining into which folders to place e-mail messages they want to keep. In some cases, users find that they want to keep an e-mail message in more than one folder and this is difficult to do in most e-mail applications without creating another copy. Duplicating e-mail messages only increases the load of e-mail messages the user manages. In their work, Whittaker and Sidner (1996) suggest there are three different strategies for managing e-mail, two of which might help in mitigating information overload. Two criteria make the basis of the three strategies: “(a) whether or not users currently use folders; (b) whether they ‘clean up’ their inbox on a daily basis” (p. 280). The three strategies derived from the criteria are no filers - no use of folders; frequent filers - those who use folders and attempt to clean out their in-box daily; and, spring cleaners - those who use folders and clean out their in-box only periodically. Not surprising, Whittaker and Sidner (1996) point out that managing e-mail well is time consuming and relates to the nature of the user’s job and their organization skills. Users indicate that not being able to handle their e-mail is stress inducing. For instance, they found that employees who are away from their desk in the conduct of their job fell into either the “no filer” or the “spring cleaner” strategies. In contrast, users who are more desk-bound in the conduct of their job appear more successful in keeping up with their e-mail traffic and maintain a more manageable in-box. In his work, Balter (1998) provides more insight into e-mail managing strategies. Balter does not make a value judgment on the six strategies he reports in his findings, though he suggests there are indications that e-mail management is a pervasive problem in the workplace. In his work, Balter (1998) reports that 50% of users store all their e-mail in one folder - this is the single folder strategy. The second strategy is filing by subject, and 36% of users organize their e-mail messages by using subject-related folders. The third strategy is filing e-mail messages by sender, and 18% use this strategy. The fourth strategy is filing e-mail messages by month, and 14% use this strategy. The fifth strategy is filing e-mail messages chronologically, and 14% use this strategy. The final strategy is deleting most e-mail messages, and 21% use this strategy. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34 E-mail software applications offer some capability for aiding users in managing their e-mail messages. The user can generate automated routines or scripts that detect patterns and habits of the user thereby automatically filtering in or out e-mail messages (Sheth & Maes, 1993). In addition to filtering tools, there are query tools the user can apply to managing e-mail message loads (Jeffries & Rosenberg, 1987; Tajima et al., 1998). Researchers suggest that these tools are a means of alleviating information overload (Mackay, 1988). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 35 Chapter 3: Research Method Introduction The purpose of this research study is to explore and understand how members of a federal government organization handle or manage e-mail in order to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload from e-mail. Specifically, this research study examines the Department of Navy ISAT Support Office. This research study applies a multi-methodology approach that employs both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. This research study investigates the contemporary phenomenon of information overload within the real-life context of the e-mail environment used within the ISAT Support Office. This research study draws on the inductive process that generalizes on the particular data collected through multiple methods. This research study describes an understanding of the meanings of the situation presented by participants in the study. A unique data collection process was employed that called for data being collected from multiple and different sources. This triangulation strategy was a means to corroborate evidence and help explain more clearly the phenomenon under study. This research includes data collected from surveys, record reviews, and interviews with members of the ISAT Support Office. Conclusions come from the analysis of the triangulated data. In their work Cooper and Schindler (1998) state that each conclusion “explains the facts, and the facts support the conclusion.” The mixed methodology employed is well suited for studying organizational, managerial, and individual processes and systems, such as individual use and handling or management of e-mail, as a means of organizational, managerial, and individual communication. Yin (1994) points out that in social science research, such as public administration, researchers use the case study extensively to investigate contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. In addition, Yin states that the study of a phenomenon in laboratory environments, as opposed to real-life environments, typically involves an artificial setting that most likely leaves out critical influences and valuable insight (Yin, 1994). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The research propositions are: 36 Proposition 1 Department of Navy employees are required to use e-mail daily as a means of basic communication in the workplace. Proposition 2 Department of Navy employees use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. Proposition 3 Department of Navy employees using e-mail experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. Proposition 4 Department of Navy employees use e-mail for more than basic communications in their workplace: a. They use e-mail as a file system. b. They use e-mail as a database. c. They use e-mail as an archive. Proposition 5 Department of Navy employees develop e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use of e-mail: a. They sort e-mail in ways that allow them to arrange messages by various attributes such as by sender or date received. b. They apply various strategies for deleting messages. c. They apply various strategies when archiving messages. d. They apply various strategies to organize e-mail messages. The approach of this research study was to look at the individual e-mail management or handling practices used with the intent to help avoid or mitigate information overload. The underlying assumption is that tools and techniques used to aid individuals in handling or managing their e-mail contribute toward the individual’s ability to avoid or mitigate information overload from e-mail. The data for this research study came from interviews, survey questionnaires, and record reviews. During the data collection, face-to-face interviews helped to identify important aspects of each participant’s perception about information overload in general, and about information overload in particular as it might exist within their e-mail environment. In addition, this research study explored how individuals handle or Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37 manage their e-mail in order to avoid or mitigate information overload. Furthermore, observations of some participants in the act of handling or managing their e-mail helped to identify important aspects of participant’s practices for managing their e-mail load. To allow recording, these participants expressed aloud the cognitive process. Finally, review of management records helped validate and verify some data collected by the other means. Record review, such as e-mail audit records for all participants provided an objective perspective on the e-mail load and activity of each study participant. In addition, management record reviews helped to validate and verify demographic data collected from the survey questionnaire. Research Method According to Creswell (1994), a significant advantage of the case study design is using a variety of procedures for collecting data. In addition, according to Merriam (1988) a researcher can use both qualitative and quantitative data to describe the case in a case study. Furthermore, Merriam (1988) suggests quantitative data coming from surveys might be useful in supporting and verifying generalizations made from other data sources such as interviews. As for qualitative data, a researcher can gain valuable insight to the phenomenon under study from interviews with study participants. Study participants with an understanding of the experience of information overload and methods for handling or managing e-mail to avoid or mitigate the experience are vital to understanding the phenomenon. In addition to surveys and interviews, data from records might also provide valuable insight. E-mail audit data can serve as an objective data source, verifying data collected from sources that are more subjective. Research literature refers to the use of multiple methods of data collection as triangulation (Creswell, 1994; Merriam 1988; Yin, 1994). The value of using multiple sources of evidence comes from the potential of each source to corroborate and reinforce the research findings, thereby increasing researcher confidence in drawing conclusions. Mertens (1998) describe triangulation as “checking information that has been collected from different sources or methods for consistency of evidence across sources of data” (p. 183). Triangulation is not restricted to the notion of multiple sources of data, but also considers the type of data. According to Creswell (1994), one approach to triangulation is that it is “between methods, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures” (p. 174). Finally, triangulation is a research strategy to enhance Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38 credibility or internal validity. Therefore, this research includes data collected from multiple sources and that is of both of a quantitative and a qualitative nature. Data Collection The data collection methods used includes e-mail based self-administered questionnaires, face-to- face interviews, and record reviews. These methods are consistent with those methods generally available to researchers, and presented in Table 1 below (Dillion et al., 1993). This research posits that e-mail should be included in the methods table, and therefore included e-mail in the table. Table 1 Summary of the data collection methods that includes e-mail Criteria E-mail Mail Telephone Face-To-Face Versatility Possibly more than with mail, maybe as good as or better than with the telephone Not much Substantial but complex or lengthy scales are difficult to use Highly flexible Sample control Possibly more than mail, maybe as good as with the telephone Little Good but not non listed households can be a problem In theory, provides greatest control Quantity o f data Great quantity, potentially more than with face-to-face Substantial Short, lasting typically between 15 and 30 minutes Greatest quantity Quality o f data Good for sensitive or embarrassing questions; however, no interviewer present to clarify what is being asked, though e-mail dialogue might compensate Better for sensitive or embarrassing questions; no interviewer present to clarify what is being asked Positive side: interviewer can clear up any ambiguities. Negative side: may lead to socially accepted answers There is the possibility o f cheating Response rate Possibly between the rate o f mail (10%) and telephone (60- 80%); also, possibly the easiest with which one can conduct follow-up or reminders to improve the rate In general, low; as low as 10% 60-80% Greater than 80% Speed Possibly the fastest; responses possible with in minutes Several weeks Large studies can be completed in 3 to 4 weeks Faster than mail but typically slower than telephone surveys Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 39 Table 1 Summary of the data collection methods that includes e-mail continued Criteria E-mail Mail Telephone Face-To-Face Cost Very inexpensive Inexpensive Not as low as mail; depends on the incidence rate and length o f the questionnaire Can be relatively expensive, but considerable variability Uses Most versatile, though might not be viable for studies that require visual cues or product prototypes Executive, industrial, medical and readership studies Particularly effective in studies that require national samples Still prevalent in product testing and other studies that require visual cues or product prototypes Adapted from: Dillon, Madden, and Firtle (1993, p 173) and modified by this research. ■ Versatility - Versatility refers to the extent to which the survey method can handle different question formats and scenarios. ■ Quantity of data - Quantity of data refers to the amount of information the researcher can collect. ■ Sample control - Sample control refers to the ease or difficulty of ensuring that the researcher contacts the desired respondents. ■ Quality of data - Quality of data refers to the accuracy of the data collected using a particular data- collection method. ■ The response rate - The number of responses divided by the sample size calculates response rate. ■ Speed - Speed refers to the total time it takes to complete the study by using a particular data- collection method. ■ Cost - Cost refers to the cost per completed interview. ■ Uses - Uses refers to how the researcher uses the data collected. Potential Sources o f Errors According to Malhotra (1996), there are sampling and non-sampling errors, where sampling errors are errors that are attributable to determ ining the sam ple. M alhotra (1996) describes non-sam pling errors as errors that are attributable to sources other than sampling and they can be random or non-random. Non sampling errors consist of response errors and non-response errors. A response error is a non-sampling error arising from respondents who do respond but give inaccurate answers or recording incorrectly answers, or improperly analyzing the answer (Malhotra, 1996). Researchers, interviewers, or respondents Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 40 can make response errors. In addition, according to Malhotra (1996), a non-response error occurs when some respondents included in the sample do not respond. Non-responses will cause the obtained sample to be different in size or composition from the original sample. To reduce the chance of non-responses, Sudman and Blair (1999) suggest the researcher take several actions, actions such as more contact attempts with respondents, greater use of mixed modes to obtain cooperation, and personalized contact. To reduce the possibility of non-response errors in this research, participants had regular contact through face-to-face or personal communication and through personalized e-mail. Sampling Strategy The basic principle of sampling is that by selecting some of the elements in a population, a researcher might draw conclusions about the entire population (Malhotra, 1996). The population in question is the entire organization to which the ISAT Support Office is one of many business units. The other business units also use the same network and e-mail system as used by the ISAT Support Office. In general, in the other business units, the level of technical skill and ability using e-mail and other information technologies varies greatly; however, some are as skilled and able as ISAT members, which might allow for generalization of conclusions to other business units within the larger organization. This research applied non-probability sampling-strategy. This sampling strategy is the procedure in which the sampling does not give a representative sample of the population. There are several examples of this strategy and the one chosen for this research was convenience/self-selecting sampling, where the sample is made up of those whom it is most convenient to survey - the ISAT Support Office; and, in which the participants get to choose whether to be included in the survey, or not. According to some research literature, non-probability sampling relies on the judgment of the researcher. Although non-probability sampling-strategies do not yield representative samples, researchers still believe they are useful in gaining a basic understanding of the research study topic for that given environment. All 65-government members of the ISAT Support Office were contacted to see if they would agree to participate in this research study. No contractor personnel were solicited to participate. The scope and limitations of their contracts precluded contractor personnel from participating in this research study. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 41 Altering contracts to remove limitations and increase scope might have complicated the administration of this research study. The government members of the ISAT Support Office are most knowledgeable about the use of information technologies and in particular e-mail. Participants received the initial invitations to participate via e-mail addressed by using a pre-established mailing list. In other words, these invitations were not personal and individual. Participants received follow-up invitations to participate via personally addressed e-mail. The initial invitation and the follow-up invitation messages are available at Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively. Of the 65 possible participants, 42 responded and agreed to participate in this research study. Interviewing The research design used face-to-face interviews as one means of collecting data. Because of the versatility, control, and speed criteria previously mentioned, and the close proximity and easy access to the research participants. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), there are clear advantages and limitations associated with the use of a personal interview when compared to the other survey methods available to a researcher. In addition to those points highlighted in Table 1, Cooper and Schindler (1998) also point out the following advantages of a personal interview: • Depth of information and detail that can be secured when compared with a telephone, mail, self-administered, and mail intercept surveys. • The interviewer has more flexibility to improve the quality of the information received than with any other survey methods. • Interviewers have more control over the interview and any disturbances that might occur. • Interviewers can probe for additional questions and gather supplemental information through observation. • Interviewers can pre-screen to ensure that the correct respondent is participating in the interview (p. 291). All participants for this research study were within the same geographic area and all participants were relatively easy-to-reach people. It is the task of the interviewer to ensure that the personal interview is successful. In order to have a successful personal interview Cooper and Schindler (1998) suggest that three broad conditions must exist, and these conditions are: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42 • Availability of the needed information from the respondent. • An understanding of the respondent of his or her role. • Adequate motivation by the respondent to cooperate (p. 292). There are a few techniques the researcher can apply to increase the likelihood of a good interview. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), the interviewer should make a good introduction, establish a good rapport, be clear and concise and ask every question specified, probe neutrally to stimulate responses, and record responses as they occur. Cooper and Schindler (1998) point out that probing is an important technique of stimulating respondents to answer more fully and relevantly. They strongly advise that any probe should be neutral so as not to cause bias and should appear as a neutral part of the conversation. Cooper and Schindler (1998) propose several probing styles: • A brief assertion of understanding interest • An expectant pause • Repeating the question • Repeating the respondent’s reply • A neutral question or comment • Question clarification (p. 295) There are problems researchers might encounter trying to conduct interviews. Cooper and Schindler (1998) indicate that during personal interviewing the researcher deals with the two interrelated aspects of bias and cost. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), bias results from three types of error - sampling error, non-response error, and response error. According to the research literature, the most reliable and effective solution to non-response problems is for the researcher to make call-backs and follow-up. Continuing the close and personal contact with the participants through out the data collection period for this research study, mitigated the need for callbacks. Response error occurs when data reported by participants differ from the actual data; however, this is difficult to detect. In addition, response errors come about when the researcher incorrectly tabulates data or when the respondent fails to report fully and accurately in their response (Cooper & Schindler, 1998). Other research literature suggests other possible sources of bias in survey research. The following list briefly describes those other possible sources, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43 ■ Demand characteristics - respondents tend to say what they think the researcher wants to hear. ■ Acquiescence - respondents tend to say "yes" more easily than "no." ■ Reactivity - thinking about the questions tends to change respondents' opinions. ■ Response Bias - some people tend to answer more positively or in more extreme terms. Survey Questionnaire Dillon et al. (1993) propose several basic principles for developing a good survey questionnaire: Principle 1: Be clear and concise. Principle 2: Response choices should not overlap. Principle 3: Use natural and familiar words. Principle 4: Do not use words or phrases that show bias. Principle 5: Avoid double-barreled questions. Principle 6: State explicit alternatives. Principle 7: Questions should meet the criteria of validity and reliability. The whole point is that the researcher must write specific questions that address the research objectives and research propositions. The researcher must know how the answers to the questions relate to the research propositions. It appears that very few research studies exist that pertain to both e-mail and information overload, though one such study by Bell (2000), focuses on similar objectives in private sector organizations. In addition, another study by Turner (1996) focuses on e-mail and organizational learning, and touches on information overload as it affects learning in a government organization. Mertens (1998) suggests the researcher consider using existing data collection instruments provided the instrument addresses the topic of interest, otherwise the researcher might consider modifying an existing instrument or developing a completely new instrument. For their research, Bell (2000), and Turner (1996) developed survey questionnaires. Questions from these two survey questionnaires became the baseline survey questionnaire for this research study. The survey questionnaire was pre-tested, which resulted in further Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 44 adjustments once the pre-test of the survey questionnaire was completed. There was strict adherence to the principles proposed by Dillon et al. (1993) when constructing the final survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire contains 39 items (questions or statements) to which participants responded. The survey questionnaire has five sections. The five sections are the introduction section and section A through section D. The introduction contains a brief summary of the purpose of the survey questionnaire and instructions for completing the instrument. Section A of the survey questionnaire contains statements designed to probe and solicit from the respondents their general attitude toward e-mail and information overload. Section B contains statements designed to collect demographic data about the respondents. Section C statements and questions solicited for and collected e-mail load data, and e-mail handling or management data pertaining to the e-mail load reported. Section D rounded out the survey questionnaire by soliciting for general reactions from the participants. Section D is the closing section that openly solicits the participants for their perception of their experience of information overload using e-mail. The final survey questionnaire is below in Table 2. Table 2 Survey Questionnaire Information Overload: Management o f Electronic Mail Introduction I thank you for volunteering and taking your valuable time to participate in this research study. I appreciate your responses to this survey questionnaire and need them in order to make this effort a success. This survey questionnaire should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete, which includes time for your thoughtful comments and explanations. If you have technical problems while taking the survey please notify me and I will resolve them as quickly as possible so that you can complete the survey questionnaire. I organized the survey questionnaire into sections to help focus the research topic and to assist me during my analysis and reporting. I designed the survey questionnaire so that participants must complete it in a single session, however, you can complete the survey by section in any order. Once you complete the survey, please submit the results by clicking on the submit button at the bottom o f the survey questionnaire. Again, I greatly appreciate your participation and thank you! Sincerely, Richard Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 45 Table 2 Survey Questionnaire continued_________________________________________________ Section A 1. My daily work requires me to use e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 2. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 3. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 4 . 1 do not enjoy using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 5 .1 regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 6. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 7 . 1 feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 8. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 9. Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 10. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 1 1 .1 enjoy using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 1 2 .1 feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 1 3 .1 prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 14. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 15.1 feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 46 Table 2 Survey Questionnaire continued Section B 16. My occupation is: [ ] 3 3 4 /391 / 2210 [ ] 301 / 341 / 343 17. My level in the organization is best described as: [ ] Manager [ ] Senior Technical [ ] Technical [ ] Technical and Administrative Support 1 8 .1 have been using computers for: [ ] Less than 5 years [ ] 5 to 10 years [ ] 11 to 15 years [ ] 16 to 20 years [ ] More than 20 years 1 9 .1 have been using e-mail for: [ ] Less than 5 years [ ] 5 to 10 years [ ] 11 to 15 years [ ] 16 to 20 years [ ] More than 20 years 20. Gender: [ ] Female [ ] Male 21. Highest level o f education: [ ] High School or Less [ ] Some College [ ] Bachelors Degree (e.g., B.A. or B.S.) [ ] Masters Degree (e.g., M .A ., M.S., or MBA) [ ] Post Graduate Degree (e.g., Ph.D. or Doctorate) Section C 22. The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: [ ]Fewerthan 10 [ ] 1 1 to 20 [ ] 21 to 30 [ ] 31 to 40 [ ] More than 40 23. The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: [ ] Fewer than 10 [ ] 11 to 20 [ ] 21 to 30 [ ] 31 to 40 [ ]M orethan40 24. What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? [ ] 25. What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? [ ] 26. Which e-mail messages do you keep? [ ] 27. Which e-mail messages do you delete? [ ] 28. How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) [ ] Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47 Table 2 Survey Questionnaire continued____________________________________________________ 29. How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? [ ] 30. How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? [ ] 31. How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? [ ] 32. How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) [ ] 33. How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? [ ] Daily [ ] Weekly [ ] Monthly [ ] Quarterly [ ] Annually 34. On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? [ ] Section D 35. Do you experience information overload? [ ] Yes [ ] No 36. If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? [ ] Yes [ ] No 37. Please explain your previous answer. [ ] 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? [ ]Y es [ ]N o 39. Please explain your previous answer. r SUBMIT 1 r RESET 1 Table 3 below illustrates the linkage between section A through section D; the items; item formats; and scale type / choice set / data type. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 48 Table 3 Linkage between sections A through D, the items, the item formats, and the scale types Section Item Item Format Scale Type / Choice Set / Data Type 1 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 2 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 3 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 4 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 5 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 6 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale Section A 7 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 8 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 9 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 10 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 11 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 12 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 13 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 14 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 15 Closed-ended 5-point Likert scale 16 Closed-ended Dichotomous: technical or non-technical 17 Closed-ended Choice set: 4 Section B 18 Closed-ended Choice set: 5 19 Closed-ended Choice set: 5 20 Closed-ended Dichotomous: male or female 21 Closed-ended Choice set: 5 22 Closed-ended Choice set: 5 23 Open-ended Choice set: 5 24 Open-ended Integer (percent) 25 Open-ended Integer (percent) Section C 26 Open-ended Text 27 Open-ended Text 28 Open-ended Text 29 Open-ended Integer 30 Open-ended Integer 31 Open-ended Integer 32 Open-ended Integer (in increments o f 15) 33 Closed-ended Choice set: 5 34 Open-ended Integer 35 Closed-ended Dichotomous: yes or no 36 Closed-ended Dichotomous: yes or no Section D 37 Open-ended Text 38 Closed-ended Dichotomous: yes or no 39 Open-ended Text This survey questionnaire uses both the open-ended and the closed-ended format. There are advantages and disadvantages of each format. The open-ended format is good for several reasons. According to Dillon et al. (1993), the open-ended format is useful for corroborating the results collected from using the closed-ended format, for obtaining direct comparisons, and to elicit from the participant Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 49 general reactions to or feelings about specific issues. Notwithstanding the advantages of the open-ended format, there are some disadvantages. The disadvantage of greatest concern is that the open-ended format is not well suited for a self-administered survey questionnaire because it provides the opportunity for the participant to express their bias (Dillon et al., 1993). The closed-ended format restricts the participant to a predetermined set of responses from which to choose the best response that describes their feeling or attitude about the item. The advantages of the closed-ended format include ease of use, the ability to reduce interview bias, and the ability to reduce bias from differences in participant’s abilities to articulate their responses (Dillon et ah, 1993). The disadvantages, according to Dillon et ah (1993), include the potential to include too many response choices, the difficulty of stating the item neutrally so as not build in a bias, and forcing the participant to a limited set of choices, which might not elicit a response if the participant does not agree with the choices presented. Below, in Table 4, is the linkage between the survey questionnaire and the research propositions. Table 4 The linkage between the items in the survey questionnaire and the research propositions Propositions Items (Questions or Statements) Pronosition 1 Department o f Navv emnlovees are reauired to use e-mail daily as a means o f basic communication in the workplace. 1,2, 3 ,4 , 5, 10,11, 13, 14, 22,23, Proposition 2 Department o f Navv emnlovees use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. 6, 8, 9,14, 22, 23, 29, 30 Proposition 3 Department o f Navv emnlovees usina e-mail experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 2 9 ,3 0 ,3 1 ,3 2 ,3 3 , 34 Proposition 4 Department o f Navv employees use e-mail for more than basic communications in their workplace: a. They use e-mail as a file system. b. They use e-mail as a database. c. They use e-mail as an archive. 13,24, 25,26, 27, 28, 3 2 ,3 3 ,3 4 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50 Table 4 The linkage between the items in the survey questionnaire and the research propositions continued Propositions Items (Questions or Statements) Prooosition 5 Department o f Navv employees develop e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use o f e-mail: a. They sort e-mail in ways that allow them to arrange messages by various attributes such as by sender or date received. b. They apply various strategies for deleting messages. c. They apply various strategies when archiving messages. d. They apply various strategies to organize e-mail messages. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 Items 16 through 21 solicit demographic information about the research study participants. There are six job series, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management, within the ISAT Support Office, and each participant belongs to one by virtue of their position classification in the support office. This research study divides the six job series into two groups: technical job series (334 / 391 / 2210) and non-technical job series (301 / 341 / 343). Participants select the occupation group to which they belong by fact of their position classification. In addition, participants will select their level in the organization based on the framework that positions are technical and administrative support, technical, senior technical, or manager. Other data collected with this instrument includes the number of years the participants have been using computers in general and e-mail specifically, their gender, and their education level. Survey Questionnaire Testing The survey questionnaire was pre-tested before administering it to the research study participants. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), pre-testing is the final step toward improving the survey results. The pre-test helped discover errors in the instrument and helped improve clarity of the questions and intent. The pre-test of the survey questionnaire included 35 highly technical and competent users of technology, much like those research study participants from the ISAT Support Office (Rea & Parker, 1997). Of the 35 survey questionnaires sent out during the pre-test, 24 test subjects or 69% responded. The pre-test Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 51 enhanced the validity and the reliability, or in other words, the credibility and dependability of the instrumentation (Guba & Lincoln, 1994; Mertens, 1998). The invitation and thank you messages are available at Appendix C and Appendix D, respectively. Data Collection Procedures The procedures used for collecting data for this research study were simple. This research study applies a four-part strategy for collecting data. Part I called for the conduct of interviews with some participants, either individually or in small groups, or some of both. The purpose of this part was to establish an understanding of the perspective participants had on the subject matter of the research study. In other words, find out what some of the participants thought about information overload within e-mail, and how participants dealt with information overload if it existed. Part II called for observation of five to 10 participants during a "typical" session of handling or managing their e-mail; typical was relevant to the respective participant. During the observation period of about 10 minutes, participants described aloud the cognitive process the participant was using to handle or manage their e-mail. Expressed thoughts were recorded in writing. The purpose of this part was to see and hear how the participant handled or managed e-mail. It provided insight into the participants’ cognitive processes when handling or managing their e-mail. For example, in one particular session a participant was observed marking e-mail for deletion while they expressed aloud their thoughts as to why they were deleting the e-mail. The expressed thought was "... here is another from Larry regarding TEMPEST test results, it too is an FYI. I’ll read it then delete it.” This part gave insight into how participants handle or manage e-mail. Part III called for a survey questionnaire to all participants. The survey questionnaire used is an instrument derived from instruments used in previous research - Bell (2000) and Turner (1996). The survey questionnaire used in this research study was a combination of questions and items from Bell’s and Turner’s instruments modified for this research because of Part I and Part II, and the results of the pre-test of the instrument. The survey questionnaire is available at Appendix E. Administration of the survey questionnaire was electronic by using the support office network to which all participants are connected and have e-mail accounts. The survey questionnaire was created on the support office network using a Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 software application called EZSurvey by Raosoft, Inc. The EZSurvey software application allowed the creation of the survey questionnaire in the form of a web page, which all participants received through e-mail in the form of a hyperlink, embedded in the e-mail. The participants accessed the instmment by clicking on the hyperlink embedded in the e-mail. The hyperlink took the participants electronically to the web page where the participants then completed the survey questionnaire. Once the participants completed the survey questionnaire, the participants submitted their response to the survey database. The survey questionnaire inherently had the means to collect and store the results. The EZSurvey software application also allowed for some basic analysis of the results and supported some basic reporting of the results. This functionality and capability saved time and reduced the clerical burden of collecting, collating, processing and analyzing the data collected from the survey questionnaire. The distribution message or notice to participate in the survey questionnaire, and thank you messages are available at Appendix F and Appendix G, respectively. Part IV called for the collection and coding of e-mail audit records for each participant. E-mail activity was collected for new messages sent, new messages received, reply messages sent, forwarded messages sent, messages deleted, and messages filed or saved. The purpose of this part of the data collection was that it served as an objective means to validate and verify some of the data collected from the survey questionnaire. An audit record collection tool developed for this research study captured e-mail audit records. The audit record collection tool captured the e-mail audit records for each participant and saved them to an audit file within the Notes application. The audit file containing all audit records was stored in a restricted access the file space. The audit file was exported from its native format into an ASCII delimited file and then imported into Microsoft Excel to perform data analysis and produce reports. Coding and Recording Data According to Dillon et al. (1993), coding is the process of assigning an alphabetical or a numerical value or symbol (code) to represent a specific meaning or, to represent a specific response to a specific question, or to represent an entity or being. This research design used coding in several situations. This research design used coding to disassociate the research participants from their respective responses in order to make their responses anonymous to those other than the researcher. This research design also used Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 53 coding in the collection of e-mail activity auditing as a coding scheme identifies e-mail activity events by type and other meaningful classifications. Finally, simple coding was used for numbering the items on the survey questionnaire and, by numbering the interview questions, both done for easy reference. Each participant in this research study was coded by giving the individual a participant number in order to sever the participant’s name from the data collected. The participants’ names were relevant to the study only if there was a need to follow-up with a participant during the data collection period. Once the data collection was complete, the participants’ names were no longer relevant and the names were disassociated with the data collected. To facilitate this de-coupling of names and data a coding scheme was developed to correlate participants’ names with a participant number. The coding strategy chosen was simple and easily implemented. The listing of participants was alphabetized according to first name then last name. Once alphabetized, starting from the first entry on the list, working to the last entry on the list, participant numbers were assigned beginning with number one through number 42. This list served as the participant coding key-list. Once all data collected from each participant was correlated and collated the participant coding key list was destroyed. The participant cross-reference list is available at Appendix H. E-mail activity was collected for new messages sent, new messages received, reply messages sent, forwarded messages sent, messages deleted, and messages filed or saved. The audit record collection tool monitored the e-mail user’s activity and recognized the activity through the technical function executed by the application. The tool collected the user name, date, time, and specific activity, by the code defined in Table 5 below. Table 5 E-mail activity coding scheme. E-mail Activity Event Code New message sent S New message received M Reply message sent R Forwarded message sent F Message deleted D Message filed or saved 0 The survey questionnaire contained several items designed to use the Likert scale measurement. According to Dillon et al. (1993), the Likert scale is a measurement scale containing a number of evaluative statements. According to Cooper and Schindler (1998), the Likert scale is the most frequently used version Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 54 of the summated scale, which is a scale for statements that express either a favorable or an unfavorable attitude toward the item of interest. Evaluative statements were used to ask the respondent to agree or disagree with each statement and each response has a numerical code to reflect the degree of attitude. One important advantage of using the Likert scale is that it is easy to quantify the results for analysis. The items on the survey questionnaire using the Likert scale offer a choice set of: “strongly agree,” “agree,” “undecided,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” The numerical code for this scale is five through one, respectively. Data collected from each part of the data collection process was recorded in many different ways. Ideally, during the interviews, a researcher would use an audio recording device to capture accurately the participants’ perceptions (Creswell, 1994; Merriam, 1988). However, Department of Navy policy prohibits the use of such devices within the facilities the ISAT Support Office conducts business, and from where the interviews and observations were conducted. Therefore, during interviews and observation sessions notes were hand written. Hand written notes were transcribed into a word-processing document immediately following each session. The ISAT Support Office network collected electronically the data from survey questionnaires by using the capabilities of the EZSurvey software. In addition, the ISAT Support Office network collected electronically the e-mail activity data for each participant by using the audit collection capabilities designed specifically for this research study. Coordination with appropriate information security authorities took place in order to comply with approved information transfer procedures for extracting the data electronically from the classified network in order to process and analyze the data on an unclassified computer. Aside from the need to comply with security policy and practice procedures this process was necessary in order to maintain the highest level of integrity of the data. Manual transfer of the data was neither feasible nor practical given the large volume of data collected and the enormous margin for error. In addition, the transfer was necessary in order to include the data, data analysis, and data reports in this research study document. Furthermore, manual transcription threatens the integrity of the data, thereby reducing the level of trust and confidence in the findings and conclusions. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 55 Research Reliability and Validity With the empirical methodology, reliability, internal validity, and external validity of measures and procedures are cornerstones to legitimate research. According to Yin (1994), case study research employs a replication logic that enhances the evidence of the study and makes it more robust. Furthermore, Yin argues that such a design gains external validity, which refers to the ability to generalize the research study results to other situations. Within the qualitative paradigm, some scholars refer to external validity as transferability (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Guba & Lincoln, 1994; Mertens, 1998). In other words, the research design logic reinforces the external validity, or transferability, of this research study. According to Mertens (1998), in a qualitative research study internal validity refers to the correspondence between how participants perceive social constructs and how the researcher presents perceptions expressed. In other words, internal validity reflects how close the results match reality (Merriam, 1988). In addition, Guba and Lincoln (1994) suggest that scholars can judge best internal validity and credibility through triangulation and member checks. Triangulation was used by collecting data from multiple sources and by collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Data from all sources was checked for consistency of evidence across the various sources. Furthermore, participants were asked to summarize their response at the end of interview sessions as another means of checking data. This process ensured that hand written notes and the participant’s comments accurately reflected the perceptions and experiences expressed by the participant - establishing credibility. According to Denzin and Lincoln (1994), and Guba and Lincoln (1994), objectivity is confirmability. Objectivity in this research study is coming from the e-mail activity records of each participant. Yin (1994) claims that records such as archival records offer an objective perspective of the data. In this research study, e-mail audit-records of each participant provided an objective, precise, and quantitative statement of the numbers of e-mail messages the participant sent, received, stored, retrieved, and deleted. In qualitative research study reliability, which refers to the demonstration that the research could be repeated with the same results (Yin, 1994), is also know as dependability (Guba & Lincoln, 1994; Mertens, 1998). Reliability in social science research is problematic because of the dynamic complexity of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 human behavior (Merriam, 1988). To ensure reliability, or dependability, the conduct of the research was documented using a case study protocol (Yin, 1994). Limits o f the Study This research study is limited in its use to generalize because of the nature of the sample. An examination of a broader sample of the population, the larger Navy support organization to which the ISAT Support Office belongs and a more random sample might offer a wider basis for studying e-mail handling or management techniques intended to help e-mail users avoid or mitigate information overload. For example, a sample taken from a multifunctional organization, where the sample is a cross-functional mix, might allow for more heterogeneity among participants in terms of age, sex, skill levels, organizing abilities, and other relevant factors. In addition, data availability limited this study. Since each participant self-reported data and participation was voluntary, there might be bias results, especially among the data from responses dealing with e-mail handling behavior. For example, in the survey questionnaire participants were asked if they experience information overload. These participants might have figured that they had to respond affirmatively to indicate they are as busy as can be. On the other hand, however, some participants might have responded the way they did to indicate they are highly effective and efficient in doing their work. Therefore, they do not experience information overload, or if so, it is not because of an inability to manage their e-mail properly. Another limitation of the study is that this sample of participants might not represent a behavioral pattern likely to recur in other highly information-intense work environments. Finally, the manual effort of recording information during the interviews and observation sessions limited this research study by the potential for loss of relevant data or the inaccurate manual recording of data collected. There was no possibility of listening to electronic recordings of interviews and observation sessions to validate and verify written data transcripts. Department of Navy policy prohibited the use of electronic recording devices within the facilities the ISAT Support Office conducts business, and from where both the interviews and observations were conducted. Generally, it was difficult to record all observations and verbalized cognitive processes in real time by hand writing. Therefore, immediately following each session hand written notes were transcribed into word processing documents. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 57 Chapter 4: Research Study Results and Findings Introduction As stated in the previous chapter, the basic principle of sampling is that by selecting some of the elements in a population, a researcher might draw conclusions about the entire population (Malhotra, 1996). The population in question is the entire organization to which the ISAT Support Office is one of many business units. The population size is 800. This research used a non-probability sampling-strategy; specifically used was the convenience/self-selecting sampling strategy. The research plan called for a sample obtained by soliciting all government members of the ISAT Support Office. Each member chose whether or not to participate in the survey. After one follow-up invitation to participate, 42 members, of the possible 65, decided to participate - 26 males or 40 percent, and 16 females or 25 percent, of the total sample. Relative to the population three percent was female, five percent was male, and in total, the participants were eight percent of the population. The percent of male and female participants in this research is relatively the same as the percent of males and females in the sample. Table 6 below summarizes this information. Table 6 Research Study Sample Participants: Gender Description Gender Sample / % o f Sample Participants / % o f Participants Participants as a % o f Total Sample Participants as a % o f Population Female 26 / 40% 16/38% 25% 3% Male 39 / 60% 39 / 62% 40% 5% Total / % 65 / 100% 42 / 100% 65% 8% Presented in several sections are the data summary and findings, which describe and provide extracts of data collected. The first and second sections address the data collected during the interviews and observation sessions; data collection Part I and Part II. All data collected from Parts I and II are available at Appendix I. The third section addresses the data collected using the survey questionnaire, data collection Part III. All data collected from Part III is available at Appendix J. The fourth section addresses the data collected using the audit record collection tool, data collection Part IV. All data collected from Part IV is available at Appendix K. The final section is a summary that takes into account the overall perspective and aggregate of data collected and correlated from the participants / respondents. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 58 Data and Findings from Interviews Of the 42 members of the ISAT Support Office who volunteered to participate in this research study, 13 participants volunteered for data collection Part I of data collection. In one case, however, the participant represented three other participants and asked that they interview as a group, with the understanding that the group would not participate in the observation sessions, which was Part II of data collection. In other words, 13 participants participated in the interviews and nine participated in the observation sessions. Of the 13 participants in the interviews, four participants or 30 percent was female and nine participants or 70 percent was male. Relative to all participants, 10 percent was female and 24 percent was male. Relative to the population one-half of one percent was female, one percent was male, and in total, the participants made up two percent of the population. Table 7 below summarizes this information. Table 7 Research Study Part I Data Collection Respondents - Part I Interviews Gender Number and Percent o f Sample Participants Number and Percent o f Sample Participants that Participated in Part I - Interviews Part I Participants as a Percent o f Total Sample Participants Part I Participants as a Percent o f Population Female 16/40% 4 / 30% 4 /10% .5% Male 26 / 60% 9 / 70% 9 / 24% 1% Total 4 2 / 100% 13/100% 13/31% 2% The interview consisted of seven questions designed to address the topic of information overload beginning from a broad and general perspective moving toward the more specific context within e-mail. The final question was less specific to information overload and designed to gain a sense of how participants might have extended the use of e-mail beyond basic asynchronous communications. Participants responded overwhelmingly “yes,” when asked what they think about the notion of information overload, does it exist. Participants were clear about their views as indicated by these remarks: ■ “There are so many sources of information today that it is hard to know which to pay attention to ... it is driven by all the advances in technology. Technology makes it so much easier for those who want to send information to do it easily and inexpensively, and much of it is junk.” ■ “Yes, information overload exists, but maybe only 5 percent of what you get are useful. The other 95 percent are meaningless.” ■ “I think of unsolicited information that is meaningless, useless, and takes too much of my time to deal with it.” ■ “Personally, I find it frustrating when I try to find information.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 59 ■ “Information overload is real and it’s snowballing. It is happening at an ever increasing rate. Personally and professionally, it is overwhelming us.” ■ “The problem is more than information overload. The problem is, we’re all trying to find those nuggets of information that are applicable to our jobs ... This makes it difficult because we need to know the goodness and the validity of the information, which means more sifting through what you have available. There is an overabundance of information, and it is harder to know the validity of what you have. The information you have may be good, but you don’t know where it fits or how it can be used. What do you do?” ■ “Yes, it does exist. There is a high pace of information coming at us because we’re in the digital age. People can’t absorb all the information thrown at them. They can’t recall most of what they’re exposed to on a daily basis. People can’t comprehend all of the information they receive, there is too much volume coming at them. Everyone has a saturation point...”, ■ “ Most definitely, it exists.. .Yes, it exists in our work and personal lives ... Of course, it exists; it causes some of the stress in our lives ... Yes, it’s everywhere, home, work, leisure, and any other way you can think of. There are so many examples it’s hard to begin explaining.” As with the definitions found in the research literature, the participants’ definitions of information overload were varying but similar. The participants provided the following responses when asked how they define information overload: ■ “First, there is more information than a person can process, and second, the continuous and repetitive nature of information coming at you so fast that it is frustrating because you can’t deal with it all.” ■ “Information overload is the state of being where one can’t process all the inputs because of inefficiencies ... They suffer from information overload because they haven’t determined what is relevant to their needs and have not considered the volume they can handle. Relevance and volume are the key factors.” ■ “It is more than you can process and take action on within the time allowed ... It is when you kind-a lose it.” ■ “Information overload is receiving more information than: a) you need, b) you’re interested in, c) you have the ability to process, you’re ability is exceeded, and d) you can get value out of, too much meaningless information mixed in with that which may have value.” ■ “... it is accessing or receiving more information than you are prepared to handle, or deal with effectively.” ■ “It is the feeling that you must absorb information presented to you that is important... ‘Overload’ suggests more than can be absorbed ... “ ■ “Information overload means one is exposed to so much information that there is no reasonable way to comprehend and assimilate it to turn it into a useable product.” ■ “For any given period, there is more information than can be processed into meaning.” ■ “Basically, information overload is getting more information than I can use at any given time ... it is also too much information received for the processing capability I have. Too much information for taking meaningful action ... There has to be a part of the definition that considers one’s capacity for processing within some acceptable time period, because if that action is too late, then so what?” Participants shared their practices for managing or handling information overload in general. Participants provided the following responses when asked how they personally manage information overload: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 60 ■ “I try to plan ahead by knowing what I want when I need information .. .1 try to fdter out what is useless ... I try to ignore sources that are no good, that I’ve learned from in the past, that don’t provide good information.” ■ “Self discipline is a key for me. I’m self-disciplined and know what is relevant to me and I know the volume of information I can efficiently handle. I ignore those sources of information that have proven useless and use those that have proven to be credible.” ■ “... I focus on that which is relevant. I determine what is relevant by knowing what I’m doing, or knowing what I might do ...” ■ “It depends upon the subject. For instance, tele-marketers, I don’t answer the phone when they call. I have caller-ID and if I don’t recognize the caller by the ID, then I don’t answer ... Take the newspaper, I get rid of the sections I don’t read. I throw them away before I sit down to read the paper. Just get rid of it because it clutters up what I want to read if I keep it around. When I begin to read those sections I hang on to read, I scan the headlines first. If the head lines get my attention I’ll begin to read the article, but if the first few sentences or paragraphs don’t keep my attention, I move on to something else. I don’t waste my time on stuff I’m not interested in.” ■ “I quit when my frustration level gets too high; it’s not worth it. For example, when I read the newspaper I sort out the sections I want to read and set aside the others for someone else, or throw them away. When I sit down to read the sections I’m interested in, I skim the headlines to see what I might read, and read only what appeals to me. I do the same thing with the snail mail. I sift through what is delivered and toss what doesn’t appear to be important... I guess the answer is, you have to sort based on relevance, which implies that you have some sense of prioritization and importance.” ■ “I make a priority assessment of the new information that comes onto my radar screen. Let me use the U.S. Postal Service as an example. I assess the mail daily to see if I even need to open it. I do this by the envelope and packaging, by who the sender is, and whether, or not, they spell my name right on the address ... Once I determine something is relevant, I have a sort routine based on the content and the relevance. I determine those factors by doing a quick read or a quick scan of the content.” ■ “I prioritize the information I need and am most desperate for. Information comes from so many disparate sources and priorities shift, so it’s not easy. You can’t eliminate information overload.” ■ If I find a source of information that appears to emphasize or have my perspective on judging issues and information, then I’ll favor that source ... Reliability of the source, timeliness, and value are the factors that matter to me ... it is important to prioritize. I prioritize the sources of information based on my experiences in those terms: reliability, timeliness, and value.” ■ “The only meaningful way to manage information overload is to know your environment. You have to know what you need to do your job. You have to filter out, or ignore what is not relevant.” ■ “I just have to prioritize ... but prioritizing isn’t simple. You have to know what you need to know, and when you need to know it to be able to prioritize what you get when you get it.” After probing the participants about information overload in general, the interview narrowed in focus and began to explore participants’ views on information overload in e-mail. Participants provided the following responses when asked if information overload exists in their e-mail environment. One participant expressed confidence that he does not experience information overload in e-mail because of his discipline and technique for handling e-mail, while all others were less confident and did attest to experiencing information overload in e-mail: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 61 ■ “Yes, most definitely. I have a personal e-mail account and get quite a lot of junk e-m ail... It takes so much of my time to clean up my personal e-mail in-box because if I don’t, then it gets cluttered up and I can’t get the e-mail I really want to get at. Also, I’m concerned about all the storage space it takes to get all this junk e-mail.” ■ “Yes, because it is so easy to send e-mail. People think everyone else wants to know or needs to know what they’re doing, so they include everyone when they’re addressing the message. The sender leaves it to the receiver to determine the value of the message. I think that’s wrong and the big reason why there is information overload in e-mail.” ■ “Y e s...” ■ “Yes. There are varying degrees of information overload in e-mail. There is the home versus work consideration .. .Too much e-mail causes people to cut comers. Especially at work, people cut comers by not reading all their e-mail, and by not reading their e-mail, they may not understand what was communicated to them ... Another point is, depending upon how people sift through their e-mail to filter out the junk; they may end up deleting something of value. This too is how cutting comers can hurt getting the job done.” ■ “Yes. It is so easy to shotgun e-mail to so many people; of course, there is information overload in e-mail. I get information all the time that I don’t care about.” ■ “Yes. With three e-mail accounts, two at work, one classified and the other unclassified, and one at home, I definitely believe there is information overload with e-mail. Also, I’ve noticed a drastic increase in the volume of e-mail on all three accounts lately.” ■ “For me, no. At least no more than with snail-mail, because I have techniques that are very effective at helping me avoid information overload. No, because of my natural practices.” ■ “Yes, because it is like having a conversation with 1,000 people at the same time.” ■ “Yes, because you can send something to anyone with an e-mail address. You can send something almost effortlessly. It is easier to send since it is passive, there is no personal contact required, there is no personal interface. One can be an introvert and feel comfortable communicating because there is no sense of presence by others. E-mail also allows people to avoid direct confrontation because there is no face-to-face contact. There is also great reach. You can go wherever the network goes. Also, one of the biggest reasons why there is information overload in e-mail environments is, there are too many people with poor judgment, and who send meaningless messages. They send meaningless messages to everyone they can, not just to those who may want the message.” ■ “Of course it does. E-mail by its very nature creates information overload ... That’s true because it is so easy to send someone an e-m ail... You don’t even have to think about it, you just do i t ... Also, you can send your message to so many people so easily you sort of shotgun the message and let them figure out if it is of any value.” The fifth question assumed an affirmative response to the previous question and therefore asked the participants, in general, how they personally manage information overload within their e-mail environment. Participants provided the following responses: ■ “Well, for work I try to check my e-mail first thing when I come in to the office. I try to act quickly on those e-mails that are something that I have to do or have action on. I spend about one half-hour each morning, first thing, to make sure I know what’s in my e-mail. I try to keep only the e-mail I need to keep and trash the rest right away to keep down the clutter. I try to categorize my e-mail. I receipt everything, so I have a lot to clean up every morning. Also, I have my e-mail set up to notify me when e-mail comes in. I know when e-mail arrives, but it depends on what I’m doing or expecting whether, or not, I’ll look at it right away. I don’t want e-mail to build up in my in-box. My job is here at my desk so I can do this, but some people can’t because their job is not based at a desk, so they can’t look at their e-mail as it comes in.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 62 “I already talked about how I deal with my personal e-mail at home. Here at work I do it differently because my job and work are different than my personal stuff at home. Here at work, my e-mail is a main source of information, so I treat it more seriously. However, I do still try to get rid of what is not important as soon as possible. Once I determine I don’t need it, I get rid of it. I look at the subject line first. I want to determine if the subject line tells me enough to determine if I need it or not. Sometimes I delete based on this and find out I needed to know something in the message. But, that’s O.K. because I know enough people who keep everything, I just ask one of them to send the e-mail from so-and-so, about such- and-such, and I usually get it. It doesn’t happen often though, so this works for me. If an e-mail looks like it is relevant to me I open it and do a quick read or, I scan it to see if it is a task, status on something, or asking me for information. If I have to respond I do it as soon as I can, right then hopefully. If I can’t do it right away, I usually print it out and keep it on my desk as a reminder until I complete the action required. I keep files in my in-box where I save e-mails for recall, but not many compared to most people know. I keep e-mails by topic or project because that’s how my job and work are; they’re oriented by project, not by who I work with.” “I will reference my previous answers. As I mentioned, I do have an elaborate and extensive file folder system for saving e-mail messages. I have folders organized by major project, by important subjects, and some by organizational business unit. I find it difficult to cross file messages that I want to store in more than one file, so I have to depend on my discipline and be consistent.” “I try to look at e-mail first thing when I arrive at work and then as it comes in during the day. I don’t want it to build up on me. I have my e-mail set up to notify me that it arrives. E-mail is the primary means of communications for ongoing activities and projects, so it’s important to me to keep up with it.” “I react right away to my e-mail at work. This helps me stay on top of the situation. Because of the way my job is I have my e-mail set up to notify me as soon as e-mail arrives, this way I can deal with it right away. It is one of the very first things I do each morning when I come into the office. It is part of my morning routine, almost like a ritual, to check e-mail. I read the subject line, then decide what to do with it. Basically, I trash it, read and react, read and hold for later, or do what ever I have to do given the message. I know that I can’t let it go or I’ll have information overload in my work e-mail.” “For my work e-mail, the main office system, which is the classified system, I attend to it constantly to keep it from becoming an overload to me. Compared to the other two e-mail accounts, this is a priority and the senders are limited to my business environment, so I’m less likely to get truly junk e-mail, though it happens on occasion. There are always those baby shower announcements that I could careless about when the person is located in one of our remote sites, like in San Diego, and I’m not likely to attend. Why don’t they limit those messages to just their location? They don’t need to send the message to all network users. For the unclassified e-mail account, I check it once or twice a week, unless I’m expecting something or someone has called to tell me they’re sending me something via that account. As you know, I have to leave my desk and go to one of those workstations to access my unclassified account. As for my home account, there I have the most control over what I get. Typically, it is personal. I make faster delete decisions there, because it is much easier to see what is junk and what is not. Overall, I spend more time on my classified system, I have it set to notify me of when e-mail arrives, and I use the preview feature often. I keep up with it by not letting it build up. I look at it first thing in the morning, do a quick scan, flag those messages I need to do something with, and get back to all the others. I don’t have too many other file folders for keeping or saving e-mail messages, but I have some. I leave everything in the in-box because the sort capability is so powerful I can find anything I need quickly by sorting on the right words.” I treat my e-mail address as something golden. I minimize the number of times I give it out. This is my personal e-mail account, not my work e-mail address. By limiting its distribution, I reduce the unsolicited e-mail I receive. I eliminate as much unwanted mail as possible. I prioritize what I do get and get to the important mail first. If I can’t get to it right away, then I Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 63 will get to it as soon as possible. I review and respond quickly. I may leave something as unread as a tickler and go back to it later. I am able to have all unread mail float to the top so I can see it quickly and easily.” ■ ’’Well, being in customer service I want to check my e-mail constantly. Just like when the phone rang a minute ago, I was dying to answer it because I’m so conditioned to responding to the customer. With my e-mail notification, I have it set for every minute to check for new mail. So, if I’m here I know pretty much when an e-mail arrives, and depending upon what I’m doing, I’ll check to see what it is. I check to see if it is important enough to change what I’m doing, change directions. I handle these matters on a case-by-case basis. For the unclassified system, here at work, I check once a day, and at home, I check my personal account once a week. The classified system at work is my central and critical e-mail environment for work. It is important to me to be responsive and decisive about managing my e-mail.” ■ “I react quickly. I don’t let it build up and become a problem. I field the e-mail as it comes in. I respond on the spot, unless I don’t want to impact what I’m doing right then. I acknowledge the impact of e-mail to my ongoing work. I will open messages within a minute or two when I’m present. When I’m out of the office, I’ll get to it fairly soon after returning. I have a triage scheme I use to help me stay on top of my e-mail.” ■ “Filters, that’s the only way to do it and survive ... filters can’t do it all. You have to look at your e-mail regularly so that it doesn’t build up and collect... You have to prioritize your e-mail. You have to do e-mail like information in general... You have to know what you need and learn how to detect it when you see i t ... but prioritizing e-mail is important. I do that by looking at who sent me something and then by looking at the subject line to see if it is important. I appreciate it when people put “FYI” in the subject line because I know there is no action and I can look at it later if I don’t have time to read it right away ... There is definitely information overload in e-m ail... prioritizing and filtering are pretty common ways to deal with i t ... but don’t forget, you have to look at it regularly too, else it gets out of control.” The sixth question intended to drill further into the participants’ specific practices and techniques they might apply when performing the physical act of reviewing their e-mail. Participants provided the following responses when asked what techniques they apply when reviewing or screening their e-mail: ■ “My technique is very simple, first, I look at the sender, and then I look at the subject line. I look at the subject line and try to determine whether the message is for action or just for information purposes. I look at the sender because the e-mail from some senders is more likely to have content I need than does e-mail from other senders. Also, I have other file folders in my e-mail system so I can file my messages. I file messages by project because that is how I track my work, by project. I can look up information easily this way.” ■ “For work, I look at the subject, then the sender depending upon what I’m in the midst of as far as work. If I’m working with someone on a project and I’m expecting something from them, then I may be looking for their name in the sender column. Otherwise, the sender is not as important as the subject line. I use the preview pane sometimes. It is always open, but I don’t always look at the message to decide what to do. Attachments are something that usually cause me to open the message to look at the text of the message. Hopefully the sender tells me enough about the attachment to whether I want to look at the attachment, or not, right then. I don’t get many attachments except from certain people.” ■ Again, I will reference my previous answers. I have a model I use, that model is filter, store, retrieve, and use. This all must tie into the need. If you don’t know and understand your need it won’t work. I didn’t mention how I deal with e-mail with attachments. I look at the sender and then the subject, if that doesn’t get my attention, but there’s an attachment, I’ll usually look at the message to see if it is worth looking at the attachment.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 64 “I have a very structured process for looking at my e-mail at work. Prioritization is paramount. First, I look at the sender. I look at my e-mail in the order that it most recently arrived. In other words, I look at last in, first. I do look at the subject line next. I try to take action immediately. If I think I may need it later, then I keep it in the in-box. I use the in-box as a tickler. Other files are set up by either project or subject matter; I don’t keep my e-mail by date or time. An attachment on an e-mail is neutral to me. It does not influence how I treat the e-mail or process it when I first scan my in-box. One other thing I do is delete all e-mail that has the previous threads as part of the over all message. I figure that if I’m keeping the latest message, with all the previous threads, then I don’t need to keep earlier versions because they are redundant and now incomplete. That helps cut down on the clutter. The problem is, however, that sometimes you have several different threads because people add others to the thread, they reply, and then it gets more complicated. I still try to cut down on the number of versions of an e-mail and all its threads.” “What I use to do was read my e-mail from the bottom up. What I mean by this is, I read the oldest e-mail not yet read to the newest e-mail not yet read. This didn’t work too well, however, because I found that I was reacting to messages before I realized there was a later message changing the situation, but I didn’t know it until after I reacted to the earlier message. So, now I read the messages in the order of newest to the oldest not yet read. This works much better for me. I look at the subject line first, then the sender. I try to determine the importance and urgency to decide what I’m going to do about the message. There are times when I’m expecting something from someone I’m working with so I’ll look at the sender first, but that isn’t often and not my rule.” “I have a simple process. I look at author and title. I leave everything in my in-box and highlight, by marking those messages I want highlighted, as unread. This way they stay red and draw my attention back to them. The priority I’ve given an e-mail message is directly related to what I have ongoing at any given time. I may be waiting for a reply, or some input, so I’ll look for those senders and likely go to their messages first. Attachments don’t normally make a difference to me on how I handle the e-mail. I do try to take an action immediately and I try not to print e-mail to cut down on the paper I have to manage.” “Some people have a triage scheme. I don’t. I have what I call a euthanasia scheme, not triage. I want to see how much e-mail I can get rid of, just kill it swiftly. I continuously assess the e-mail and put it into categories. This process lets me cut my e-mail into smaller and smaller amounts. Each cut makes it tighter and tighter. However, the volume is increasing in my personal account. With my personal account I use an automated tool called Spam Buster to help me go through this process. It is set up to look at the person sending the e-mail, the subject line, the body of the message, the size of the message, and other factors that I can set as filters. It allows me to customize the filters to my personal preferences.” “I have a fairly simple triage methodology. I sort into three groups. There are those messages where there is no impact if no action is taken, then those from important senders, and finally a group that gives me a sense of some importance given the issue, or may be it pushes one of my buttons. The subject line and sender are the key indicators for making my determination. In every case, I may do a cursory read of the message if the sender and subject lines are insufficient for me to make a determination. When I think about the actions that I take, I think of this triad: respond, action folder, or in-box. For the respond category I many times stop what I’m doing and literally respond right then. Those messages that go into the action folder are messages I’m not going to respond to immediately. And, the in-box, those that stay in the in-box are routines. I’ll get to them when I get to them. As for attachments, they do not invite me to look at the e-mail any sooner, or at the attachment itself, unless the body of the e-mail message gives me little or no information about why it was sent in the first place.” “My triage scheme involves the time of day, who it’s from, urgency of ongoing work, and who is in my office at the time I get incoming e-mail. Part of my daily start routine is to look at my e-mail. In the morning I look at the over all volume received. I look at the originator because I have a small set of people whose e-mail gets priority consideration. I look at the subject line, which is where I get a sense of importance and from which I determine my level of interest. Then I consider “FIFO” (first-in, first-out). When scanning the volume I do look Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 65 for replies to messages so when I’m looking at FIFO, I don’t respond to a message that has a reply, which typically has the most current content. When there is a reply to a message that arrived first, I will ignore it and go to the reply. There are some messages I just don’t look at. Most messages that I determine that I have a need to reply to, I do so immediately. Also, I rarely print out en e-mail message.” ■ “... I try to take action immediately. For example, I look at the sender and the subject to determine which messages I’m going to look at first. If there is action to take, I try to take action immediately. In other words, if there is a question being asked, and I can answer it right away, then I do so. Otherwise, I save it until I can get the answer, then respond ... but my goal is to delete as much as I can on the first pass through my in-box. I want to get rid of all the clutter, so I can concentrate on the messages that are more meaningful... One of the things I do is to make several passes through my in-box before I decide what to do. Also, I like the preview window. I have it set so that I can read those messages that are short. If the whole message doesn’t fit into the preview pane, then I most likely won’t read it and will come back to it later on the second pass through the in-box, after getting rid of some things.” ■ “I keep everything ever sent to me, no matter how relevant or irrelevant. I move the irrelevant stuff into another file folder, but I don’t delete it because you never know when something that appears irrelevant may become relevant... Also, I take action as soon as I can. I don’t like things to linger, otherwise I feel like too much is hanging over my head.” The final question solicited the participants’ use of e-mail at work. Research indicates that people use e-mail for much more than the purpose for which it was initially developed and originally designed. Therefore, this research design supports determining to what extent this might be true for the participants of this research study. Participants provided the following responses when asked how they use the e-mail system at work: ■ “On the computer, it is the best way for me to save and retrieve information. It is an archival and retrieval system for me. It is so easy to save information and get it later when you need it. There is a comfort factor in knowing I can retrieve information when I need it. I like having the information, just in case I need it. Also, I can easily track changes in information, such as policies. I can keep old versions. Also, I find it easy to keep track of issues, the history on those issues. E-mail is much more than simple communication, but I use it for that too. E-mail makes it easy for me to do my job, but I have to keep up with it or it will overwhelm me at times.” ■ “It is my primary means of communication with people in other buildings or who are away from their desk a lot. This is sad to say because I think you lose a lot when you don’t see the other person’s face, or like with the telephone you can at least hear the other persons tone and inflexion. You lose something in the communication, but it’s necessary these days when you work with so many people not within your own work space, or not within your own time zone for that matter. Another problem with e-mail for communication is, so many people equate sending the e-mail with having communicated. This is wrong, just because you sent an e-mail, doesn’t mean you’ve communicated. You don’t know if the receiver even read the message, or if so, whether they understood your message. These are critical parts of communication, knowing the message was read and understood. E-mail doesn’t give you that immediate interaction that many times allows you to make a determination of message received and understood. I also use my e-mail at work as a repository for information. I keep in my in-box one month of e-mails. Then, once a month I file what I want to keep and get rid of everything else. I rarely look at my filed e-mails, but you learn early in your career, you have to “CYA” otherwise you’ll regret it if you don’t. But that’s why it’s good to delete as many as possible, so you don’t save what’s not relevant, even for “CYA.” But “CYA” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 66 prevails if in doubt. As for the hard copies I print as reminders, they never get saved. I trash them as soon as they’ve served their purpose and I no longer need them. Overall, e-mail is convenient as a tool to do so much with the information I send and receive, so it’s many things to me, but mainly a communications environment.” “I use e-mail as a basic communication tool, but take advantage of the underlying capability that is has as a knowledge management component. It is because of the information contained in the messages that I use the e-mail system the way I do. The content of the messages is what is important to me because I use it for coordination and planning, and tasking management and tracking, carrying out my tasks. E-mail is an excellent publication tool as well. I can target large groups of people and by using the e-mail as a headline, I can embed hyperlinks to many other sources of information and knowledge. This helps me maintain information in one place, but disseminate it to many at different times, and know that they’re all getting the latest I have to offer. Also, e-mail is a good archive environment because I can keep documents for the record and be able to easily retrieve them when I need them.” “I use it for more than just communications. I use it for information storage and retrieval. When I first began to use e-mail, it was just another means of simple communications, asynchronous communications. The other guy didn’t have to be at the other end for it to work. It was great. But, now it’s not so simple. Everyone has access to e-mail and they all use it differently. I have noticed though, more people are starting to use it for more things than just simple communications, especially the younger members of our workforce. The older workers didn’t grow up with it so they use it for simple communications still, if they use it at all. I use it as my knowledge source. Also, more and more, it is becoming a means for tracking and monitoring my tasks. Increasingly, I’m spending more time in e-mail. I’m sending more e-mail relevant to my work, and so there is an increase in responses, which increases my need to check e-mail. It is circular, a vicious cycle that is necessary. I’m conducting more and more dialog through e-mail. It is a collaborative, though asynchronous, means of communication, and most convenient.” “I use e-mail as a means of basic communication. It also serves as my primary storage for information and reminders. I do find it convenient also to use it for tracking my assignments. I have folders for many of my assignments or projects. I can save messages that pertain to the status of my projects, progress, reminders, and ticklers. Another nice thing about the e-mail environment is that it provides a nice audit trail for what I do. I can recall what I did by looking at my sent folder, and looking at my project folders when I want the history or chronology of events. I can sort by topic or project. I save by topic or project, but not by person or time. I use my in-box as a visual reminder of things I have to do. It’s a “hot list” for me. I delete all but the latest on the thread of e-mail. I keep things up to a year, but no longer. There are some exceptions, but not many.” “E-mail is an all-in-one environment for me. It is my means of simple communication with colleagues on work matters; it is the place through which I interact on tasking that I have assigned to me, and for those actions where I’m tasking others. It serves as my knowledge management environment because of the search and retrieval capability it has. I have some files for saving e-mail messages. I structure my files by project or category, not by sender. I also have file folders set up by time, for example, some things I save are relevant to matters that happen quarterly or annually, so I have files set up for these things, that way.” “I use e-mail to keep information archived, information of significance. The recall ability of specific information is important, or sometimes I need to reconstruct the chronology of events, and I can do it easily within my e-mail environment. Less frequently, but more dramatically it is an archiving tool for after the fact. In other words, archiving is not the first intent of use for e-mail. The first intent of use is for communications, for dialogue. For those to whom I address e-mail in the “to” part of the address line, I expect dialogue, not those in the “cc” or “bcc.” Others to whom I include in the address line (“cc” and “bcc”); I’m not expecting a response. Let me answer you this way, I use e-mail as a collaboration tool, communications tool, an archival and retrieval tool, a way to transfer information between work and home, and vice versa, and for continuity. With continuity, I mean that it is a Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 67 terminus connection point to extend hours for work. E-mail is a way to broadcast information, have dialogue, collaborate, and continue work elsewhere.” ■ “I use it as a way of getting information from people without having to call them or walk over to them. It is a way to document something. Today, more and more, people are telling me to put something in writing before they’ll do something I want, so I do it in e-mail. E-mail is a very easy way to do that. I don’t purposefully delete e-mail messages. I have every e-mail message ever sent to me or received since 1994. I don’t have so much that I can’t find things. Finding things is easy. With sort routines, it is so easy to find what I want. People can’t believe it when I forward to them an e-mail from eight years ago. They’re amazed and usually pissed off because I’m reminding them of what they said back then, and it usually isn’t what they’re saying now, that they said. In any case, I find it easier to keep everything and not try to delete messages. I would rather spend my time managing how to save and archive my e-mail, than sift through it trying to decide what to keep and what not to keep, wondering if I’m keeping the right messages. My way relieves me of that worry, and I’m disciplined now to save my messages regularly, and archive my oldest messages onto my local drive, and then onto removable media. The only e-mail I’ll delete is return receipts, which I use rarely. Occasionally I may inadvertently delete messages, but not often. Because I save all my messages, I use e-mail for record keeping. As you can imagine, I have access to a wide variety of information, from those annoying baby shower messages to the real work related information. I have it all. E-mail is a great asynchronous means of communication. In this way it is used for simple and basic communication, but that is where information is generated, it is generated in and by that communication. It is used for task monitoring for most of my more formal taskings, but I prefer a separate task tracking database. I used to have one, but I didn’t maintain it and I’m thinking of resurrecting it.” ■ “Without a doubt, it is my knowledge base. It is a means of communication, but it is my knowledge base because it is convenient, and serves as an accountability tool for me. It is a good record for keeping track of what and when. I don’t use return receipts. I use it for tasking and tracking tasks. About one quarter to one third of my e-mail is for that purpose. The rest of my e-mail traffic is for information sharing or receiving. I share information by using links; in other words, I share by reference. I’m seeing this from others also; I’m seeing this more and more instead of sending attachments.” ■ “I use it as an information tracking system because it is so easy to search for information with the search function. I can track information easily .. .1 use it as a reminder system. I leave things in my in-box as a reminder that I have something to do, or as a reminder of an event. Once I’m reminded, then I either delete it or save it in one of my file folders. Also, I use it for archival of information I want to keep. I can recall it when ever I need i t ... I use it as a database for all sorts of things. It keeps current information and historical information for me. I can get to it when I need it because of the powerful search capability ... It is so convenient to keep everything in one application and not worry about where it may be. Attachments are the one exception because I can’t search on the content of the attachments, but I keep all my attachments attached. I rarely detach them.” ■ “I don’t use e-mail in exactly those same ways. I do sort of, but I don’t like e-mail all that much. I prefer to communicate using the phone or in person. I don’t like waiting for a reply in e-mail. I want instant feedback or answers. So, e-mail is not my primary means of communicating with people, and so, the communications I get in e-mail is not a primary information source for me. I use the features and capabilities, but I don’t rely upon e-mail like most people appear to do.” Data from Observation Sessions Of the nine participants in the observation sessions, one person or 11 percent was female and eight people or 89 percent was male. Relative to the sample 2 percent was female and relative to the population, one tenth of one percent was female. When looking at males relative to the sample and the population, 19 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 68 percent was male, and one percent was male, respectively. In total, the participants made up 21 percent of the sample participants and one percent of the population. Table 8 below summarizes this information. Table 8 Research Study Part II Data Collection Respondents - Part II Observation Sessions Gender Number and Percent of Sample Participants Number and Percent of Sample Participants that Participated in Part II - Observation Sessions Part II Participants as a Percent o f Total Sample Participants Part II Participants as a Percent o f Population Female 16/40% 1 /11% 1 / 2% .1% Male 26 / 60% 8 / 89% 8/19% % 1% Total 4 2 / 100% 9/100% 9/21% 1% During the observation period of no more than 10 minutes for each participant, participants described aloud the cognitive process they were using to handle or manage their e-mail during that particular session. Collectively, between the nine participants observed, there were 101 e-mail messages pending processing within the in-boxes; this was an average of 11 per participant. The least number of e-mail messages was two and the most was 35. For the purposes of this research, a full in-box is one where the viewing window of the in-box was full of messages. During the observations, eight of the nine participants had in-boxes that appeared full given the display of the e-mail messages listed in their in-boxes. This measure of a full in-box might be misleading however, as five of the nine participants had the preview window activated, which reduces the size of the in-box viewing window. The preview window, however, allowed the participants to read the e-mail messages in the preview portion of the display window, up to the number of lines that could be displayed in that area of the display window. One in-box was nearly empty. Seven of the nine participants scanned all messages in their in-boxes and not just the new messages received since their previous session. In other words, participants reviewed messages from previous sessions messages either read or not read along with the new messages that arrived since the previous session. Almost immediately all participants deleted the e-mail messages received from the Help Desk. All participants appeared decisive about their action. The cognitive processes expressed aloud by the participants were similar across the nine participants. It appeared that all participants felt awkward initially expressing their cognitive process. There was a tendency by a few to begin describing and explaining their circumstance with regard to their Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 69 e-mail messages as opposed to strictly expressing their cognitive process. Eventually, all participants to an acceptable degree were able to express their thoughts that explained their actions. Much of the e-mail reviewed by the participants was in their in-boxes for reading later. Participants might not have taken the time to read these messages because of the observation. The participants might have felt a sense of necessity to progress through the session. The cognitive process revealed that six of the nine participants focus on the sender of the e-mail message - “from.” Four of the nine participants indicated that the subject line of the e-mail message was an indicator for them on the appropriate action. Three of the nine participants mark e-mail messages they have read so that these messages appear to be unread. Participants expressed that this practice is a means of flagging or creating a tickler - a reminder, to go back a read the message again, or that action was necessary. One participant expressed that he creates draft messages as a means of establishing a tickler or reminder system. He had approximately 50 such reminders in his draft folder at that time. One observation that was consistent across all participants was the existence of other folders; participants used other folders for organizing and managing their e-mail messages. The number of other folders varied from as few as two to more than could be counted from looking at the viewing window displayed on the computer screen. Data from Survey Questionnaire This section of the chapter addresses the data collected using the survey questionnaire, data collection Part III. O f the 42 members of the ISAT Support Office who volunteered to participate in this research study, all 42 responded to the survey questionnaire. Several factors might explain why the response to the survey questionnaire was 100 percent. First, this research study topic appeared to be highly relevant to a large percentage of the respondents; 79 percent of the respondents strongly agree, and 21 percent agree, that their daily work requires them to use e-mail. In addition, respondents described or expressed that they experience information overload when using their e-mail. Second, according to the comments from the pre-test respondents, the survey questionnaire was not too long and not too complicated. The time required to complete the survey questionnaire was less than 15 minutes, therefore, it Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 70 was not too time consuming or unappealing. Furthermore, the survey questionnaire items were simple and clear and did not require special knowledge or experience for respondents to complete. The survey questionnaire contained 39 items organized into four sections, A through D, that followed a brief introduction. Section A of the survey questionnaire contained statements designed to probe and solicit from the respondents their general attitude toward e-mail and information overload. Section B contained statements designed to collect demographic data about the respondents. Section C statements and questions solicited for and collected e-mail load data, and e-mail handling or management data pertaining to the e-mail load reported. Section D rounded out the survey questionnaire by soliciting for general reactions from the participants. Section D openly solicited the participants for their perception of their experience of information overload using e-mail. Section A of the survey questionnaire contained evaluative statements to which the respondents either agreed or disagreed. Each statement and each response had a numerical code to reflect the degree of attitude. One important advantage of using the Likert scale is that it was easy to quantify the results for analysis. The items on the survey questionnaire offered a choice set of: “strongly agree,” “agree,” “undecided,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” The numerical code for this scale was five through one, respectively. All respondents indicated either strongly agree (33 respondents or 78 percent,) or agree (nine respondents or 21 percent) that their daily work requires them to use e-mail. When asked whether the majority of their e-mail messages are not necessary for their job responsibilities only nine respondents or 21 percent agreed and four or 10 percent were undecided. Most respondents strongly disagree (10 respondents or 24 percent) or disagree (19 respondents or 45 percent). Respondents indicated sending and receiving e-mail messages is important to their work accomplishment as 30 respondents or 71 percent strongly agree and 12 respondents or 29 percent agree. When asked about regular receipt of unsolicited e-mail messages, two thirds of all respondents indicated they either strongly agree (10 respondents or 24 percent) or agree (18 respondents or 42 percent). The other respondents indicated they strongly disagree (three or seven percent), or disagree (10 respondents or 24 percent), or were undecided (one or two percent). When asked if they feel they must reply to e-mail messages sent to them almost two thirds of the respondents indicated strongly agree (eight respondents or Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 71 19 percent) or agree (16 respondents or 38 percent). There were two respondents or four percent that indicated strongly disagree, nine respondents or 21 percent indicated disagree, while seven respondents or 17 percent indicated they were undecided. As for feeling overloaded, when asked if they feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail - the content - the respondents divide approximately in half. There were two respondents or four percent that indicated strongly agree and 16 respondents or 38 percent that indicated agree, and five respondents or 11 percent that indicated strongly disagree, 14 respondents or 33 percent indicated disagree. Some respondents indicated they were undecided (five respondents or 11 percent). When asked about overload in terms of volume as opposed to content, the respondents again divide approximately in half. There were five respondents or 11 percent that indicated strongly agree and 16 respondents or 38 percent that indicated agree, and five respondents or 11 percent that indicated strongly disagree, 13 respondents or 30 percent indicated disagree. Some respondents indicated they were undecided (three respondents or seven percent). Participants responded to queries about stress from information overload and the ease of sending e-mail messages as a contributing factor toward excessive use of e-mail. When asked if the ease of sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use of e-mail 69 percent of the respondents strongly agree (nine respondents or 21 percent) or agree (20 respondents or 48 percent). Only one respondent or two percent strongly disagreed while nine respondents or 21 percent disagreed, and three respondents or seven percent were undecided. As for stress, asked if they feel stress from information overload because of the number of e-mail messages, they receive 60 percent (25 respondents) either strongly disagree (seven respondents or 17 percent) or disagree (18 respondents or 43 percent). There was one respondent or two percent that indicated strongly agree, 10 respondents or 24 percent that indicated agree, and six respondents or 14 percent that indicated undecided. When asked about the need for an organizational policy about how people should use e-mail, 90 percent of the respondents indicated they are in favor of such a policy. Only three respondents or seven percent did not agree and one respondent or two percent was undecided. When asked if they enjoy using e-mail approximately three fourths of the respondents indicated either strongly agree (10 or 24 percent) or agree (21 or 50 percent), and only one respondent or two percent Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 72 indicated strongly disagree and three respondents or seven percent indicated disagree. There were seven respondents or 17 percent undecided. When asked in the negative form about their attitude toward the use of e-mail there were similar results. In other words, the question asked do they not enjoy using e-mail. Again, approximately three fourths indicated either strongly disagree (12 respondents or 29 percent) or disagree (21 respondents or 50 percent). The rest of the respondents strongly agree (one respondent or two percent), agree (three respondents or seven percent), or were undecided (five respondents or 12 percent). When asked if they feel e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication, 39 percent indicated they either strongly agree (five respondents or 12 percent) or agree (12 respondents or 29 percent), while 47 percent indicated they either strongly disagree (three respondents or seven percent) or disagree (17 respondents or 40 percent). Five respondents or 12 percent were undecided. Another question dealt with respondents’ attitude toward obtaining information. The item asked respondents if they prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. Over half - 55 percent - indicated strongly disagree (five respondents or 12 percent) or disagree (18 respondents or 43 percent). Five respondents or 12 percent were undecided. One respondent or two percent left gave no response; the item was blank. The table below summarizes the responses collected from Section A of the survey questionnaire, Table 9. The response choice coding is as follows: SA = Strongly Agree, A = Agree, U = Undecided, DA = Disagree, SDA = Strongly Disagree, and B = blank, no response. The total number of respondents is 42. For each item in the table, there is the number of respondents followed by the percent of the total respondents. Table 9 Survey Questionnaire Section A Response Summary # Survey Questionnaire Item____________________________________________________________________________________ 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 33/79% 9/21% - - - 2 The majority of e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. SA A U DA SDA B 9/2 1 % 4 /1 0 % 19/45% 10/24% - 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. SA A U DA SDA B 30/71% 12/29% - - - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 73 Table 9 Survey Questionnaire Section A Response Summary continued 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 1 / 2% 3 / 7% 5 / 12% 21/50% 12/29% - 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. SA A U DA SDA B 10/24% 18/43% 1 /2% 10/24% 3 / 7 - 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). SA A U DA SDA B 2 /5 % 16/38% 5/12% 14/33% 5 / 12% - 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. SA A U DA SDA B 8 /1 9 % 16/38% 7/17% 9 /2 1 % 2 or 5% - 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number of e-mail messages I receive (think volume) SA A U DA SDA B 5 /1 2 % 16/38% 3 /7 % 13/31% 5 /12% - 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 3 / 7% 1 / 2% 19/45% 19/45% - 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 3 / 7% 3 / 7% 23 / 55% 15/36% - 11 I enjoy using e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 10/24% 21/50% 7/17% 3 / 7% 1 / 2% - 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. SA A U DA SDA B 5 /1 2 % 12/29% 5/12% 17/40% 3 / 7% - 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. SA A U DA SDA B 7/1 7 % 11/26% 18/43% 5 /12% 1 / 2% 14 The ease of sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use of e-mail. SA A U DA SDA B 9/2 1 % 20/48% 3 /7 % 9/2 1 % 1 / 2% - 15 I feel stress from information overload because of the number of e-mail messages I receive. SA A U DA SDA B 1 /2 % 10/24% 6/1 4 % 18/43% 7 / 17% - Section B contained statements designed to collect demographic data about the respondents. Of the 42 members of the ISAT Support Office who volunteered to participate in this research study, all 42 responded to the survey questionnaire. The data collected through the survey questionnaire indicated 27 respondents or 64 percent was male and 15 respondents or 36 percent was female. Relative to the population two percent was female, three percent was male, and in total, the respondents made up five percent of the population. There was an error in this data, however, as one female respondent mistakenly Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 74 marked her gender as male on the survey. Table 10 below summarizes the original information collected, and Table 11 summarizes the corrected information. Table 10 Research Study Survey Respondents: Gender Description Gender Number o f Sample Participants Number o f Sample Participants that Responded Respondents as a % o f Total Sample Participants Respondents as a Percent o f Population Female 16 15 36% 2% Male 26 27 64% 3% Total 42 42 100% 5% Table 11 Research Study Survey Respondents: Gender Description - corrected Gender Number o f Sample Participants Number o f Sample Participants that Responded Respondents as a % o f Total Sample Participants Respondents as a Percent o f Population Female 16 16 38% 2% Male 26 26 62% 3% Total 42 42 100% 5% There are six job series, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management, within the IS AT Support Office, and each participant belongs to one by virtue of their position classification. This research study divided the six job series into two groups: technical job series (334 / 391 / 2210) and non-technical job series (301 / 341 / 343). Respondents selected the occupation group to which they belong by fact of their position classification and 36 respondents or 86 percent of the chose (334 / 391 / 2210) and 6 or 14 percent of the respondents chose (301 / 341 / 343). Table 12 below summarizes this information. Table 12 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Job Series Group Job Series Group Number o f Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population 3 3 4 /3 9 1 /2 2 1 0 36 86% 5% 301 /341 /343 6 14% .8% Total Respondents 42 100% 5% To validate and verify this data, the management file for each respondent was reviewed. According to management records, one respondent claimed to be in job series group 301 / 341 / 343 and should have claimed job series group 334 / 391 / 2210. This mistake was corrected in the database. Table 13 below summarizes this corrected information. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 75 Table 13 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Job Series Group Job Series Group Number o f Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population 3 3 4 /3 9 1 /2 2 1 0 37 88% 5% 301 /341 /343 5 12% .6% Total Respondents 42 100% 5% In addition, respondents selected their level in the organization based on the framework that positions are technical and administrative support, technical, senior technical, or manager. Given these choices, the results were 14 respondents or 33 percent chose technical and administrative, 7 respondents or 17 percent chose technical, 15 respondents or 36 percent chose senior technical and 6 respondents or 14 percent chose manager. Table 14 below summarizes this information. Table 14 Research Study Survey Respondents: Level in the Organization Description Level Number o f Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population Technical & Administrative Support 14 33% 2% Technical 7 17% .9% Senior Technical 15 36% 2% Manager 6 14% .1% Total Respondents 42 100% 5% To validate and verify this data, the management file for each respondent was reviewed. According to management records, one respondent claimed the technical and administrative level and should have claimed manager. Another respondent claimed manager and should have claimed technical and administrative support. These mistakes were corrected in the database. There is, however, no change to the summary perspective of this data. Other data collected included the number of years the participants have been using computers in general, and e-mail specifically. Tables 15 and 16 below summarize this information. Table 15 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Computer Use Computer Use Number of Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population Less than 5 years 1 2% .1% 5 to 10 years 4 10% .5% 11 to 15 years 5 12% .5% 16 to 20 years 13 32% 2% Over 20 years 18 44% 2% Total Respondents 41* 98% 5% * One participant did not respond to this item. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 76 Table 16 Research Study Survey Respondents: By E-mail Use E-mail Use Number o f Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population Less than 5 years 1 2% .1% 5 to 10 years 13 31% 2% 11 to 15 years 13 31% 2% 16 to 20 years 10 24% 1% Over 20 years 5 12% .5% Total Respondents 42 100% 5% There was one respondent or 2 percent, who reported having a postgraduate degree. There were seven respondents or 17 percent, who reported having masters degrees. There were 20 respondents or 48 percent, who reported having bachelors degrees. There were 11 respondents or 26 percent, who reported having some college. In the category of high school or less, three respondents or 7 percent claimed this category. Table 17 below summarizes this information. Table 17 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Education Level Education Level Number of Respondents % o f Total Participants % o f Population High School or Less 3 7% .4% Some College 11 26% 1% Bachelors Degree 20 48% 3% Masters Degree 7 17% .9% Post Graduate Degree 1 2% .1% Total Respondents 42 100% 5% To validate and verify this data, the management file for each respondent was reviewed. According to management records, one respondent claimed to have a postgraduate degree and should have claimed only a masters degree. This mistake was corrected in the database. Table 18 below summarizes this corrected information. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 77 Table 18 Research Study Survey Respondents: By Education Level Education Level Number o f Respondents % o f Total Respondents % o f Population High School or Less 3 7% .4% Some College 11 26% 1% Bachelors Degree 20 48% 3% Masters Degree 8 19% 1% Post Graduate Degree - - - Total Respondents 42 100% 5% Additional tables with compound summaries of the descriptive information of the research study sample are available below in Tables 19 through 30. Table 19 Research Study Survey Respondents: Job Series by Gender Job Series Group Female Male Total /% Participants Total / % Population 334-391-2210 13/31% 24 / 60% 37/91% 37 / 5% 301-341-343 3 / 7 % 2 / 2% 5 / 7% 5 / .6% Total Respondents 16 26 42 42 / 5% Table 20 Research Study Survey Respondents: Level in the Organization by Gender Level Female Male Total /% Participants Total / % Population Tech & Admin Support 7/17% 6 / 14% 13/31% 13/2% Technical 4/10% 3 / 7% 7/17% 7 / .9% Senior Technical 2 / 14% 13/31 % 15/45% 15/2% Manager 3 / 7% 4 / 7% 7/17% 7 / .9% Total Respondents 16 26 42 42 / 5% Table 21 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level by Gender Education Level Female Male Total /% Participants Total / % Population High School or Less 1 / 2% 2 / 5% 3 / 7% 3 / .4% Some College 6 /14% 5 /12% 11/26% 11/1% Bachelors Degree 7/17% 13/31% 20/48% 20 / 3% Masters Degree 2 / 5% 6 /14% 8 / 9% 8/1% Post Graduate Degree - - - - Total Respondents 16 26 42 42 / 5% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78 Table 22 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use by Gender Computer Use Female Male Total /% Participants Total / % Population Less than 5 years 1 / 2% - 1 / 2% 1 / .1% 5 to 10 years 1 / 2% 3 / 7% 4/10% 4 / .5% 11 to 15 years 1 / 2% 4/10% 5 /12% 5 / .6% 16 to 20 years 8 / 20% 5 / 12% 13/31% 13/2% Over 20 years 5 /12% 13/32% 18/43% 18/2% Total Respondents 16 25* 41*/98% 41 / 5% * One participant did not respond to Computer Use. Table 23 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use by Gender E-mail Use Female Male Total /% Participants Total / % Population Less than 5 years 1 / 2% - 1 / 2% 1 / . 1 % 5 to 10 years 4/10% 9/21% 13/31% 13/2% 11 to 15 years 6 / 14% 7/17% 13/31% 13/2% 16 to 20 years 4/10% 6 /14% 10/25% 10/1% Over 20 years 1 / 2% 4/10% 5 /12% 5 / .6% Total Respondents 16 26 42 42 / 5% Table 24 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level by Job Series Education Level 334-391-2210 301-341-343 Total / % Participants Total / % Population HS or Less 2 / 5% 1/2% 3 / 7% 3 / .4% Some College 9/21% 2/ 5% 11/26% 11 /1% Bachelors 18/43% 2/ 5% 20/48% 20 / 3% Masters 8 /19% - 8 /19% 8 /1% Post Graduate - - - - Total Respondents 37 5 42 42 / 5% Table 25 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use by Job Series Computer Use 334-391-2210 301-341-343 Total /% Participants Total / % Population Less than 5 years 1 / 2% - 1 / 2% 1 / .1% 5 to 10 years 4/10% 1 / 2% 5/12% 5 / .6% 11 to 15 years 3 / 7% 2 / 5% 5 / 12% 5 / .6% 16 to 20 years 12/29% 1 / 2% 13/31% 13/2% Over 20 years 16*/39% 2 / 5% 18/43% 18/2% Total Respondents 35 * 6 41*/98% 41/5% * One participant did not respond to Computer Use. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 79 Table 26 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use by Job Series E-mail Use 334-391-2210 301-341-343 Total /% Participants Total / % Population Less than 5 years 1 / 2% - 1 / 2% 1 / .1% 5 to 10 years 10/24% 3 / 7% 13/31% 13/2% 11 to 15 years 11/26% 2 / 5% 13/31% 13/2% 16 to 20 years 10/24% - 10/24% 10/1% Over 20 years 5 /12% - 5/12% 5 / .6% Total Respondents 37 5 42 42 / 5% Table 27 Research Study Survey Respondents: Education Level by Level in the Organization Education Level Admin & Tech Support Tech Senior Tech Manager Total / % Participants / % Population High School or Less 1 / 2% - 2 / 5% - 3 / 7% / .4% Some College 5 / 12% 2 / 5% 1 / 2% 3 / 7% 11 / 26% /1% Bachelors Degree 4/10% 5 / 12% 9/21% 2 / 5% 2 0 /4 8 % / 3% Masters Degree 4/10% - 3 / 7% 1 / 2% 8 / 19% /1% Post Graduate Degree - - - - - Total Respondents 14 7 15 6 4 2 / 100%/5% Table 28 Research Study Survey Respondents: Computer Use by Level in the Organization Computer Use Tech & Admin Support Tech Senior Tech Manager Total / % Participants / % Population Less than 5 years 1 / 2% - - - 1 / 2% / .1% 5 to 10 years 1 / 2% 3 / 7% - - 4 /10% / .5% 11 to 15 years 2 / 5% - 2 / 5% 1 / 2% 5/12% /.6 16 to 20 years 5 /12% 2 / 5% 4/10% 2 / 5% 13/31%/2% Over 20 years 5 /12% 2 / 5% 8/20% 3 / 7% 18/42%/2% Total Respondents 14 7 14* 6 41* / 98% / 5% * One participant did not respond to Computer Use. Table 29 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use by Level in the Organization E-mail Use Tech & Admin Support Tech Senior Tech Manager Total / % Participants / % Population Less than 5 years - 1 / 2% - - 1 / 2% / .1% 5 to 10 years 7/17% 2 / 5% 3 / 7% 1 / 2% 13/31%/2% 11 to 15 years 2 / 5% 3 / 7% 6 /14% 2 / 5% 13/31%/2% 16 to 20 years 3 / 7% - 4/10% 3 / 7% 10/25%/1% Over 20 years 2 / 5% 1 / 2% 2 / 5% - 5 /12% / .6% Total Respondents 14 7 15 6 42 / 100% / 5% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 80 Table 30 Research Study Survey Respondents: E-mail Use by Computer Use Computer Use E-mail U s e ^ - \ Less than 5 5 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 Over 20 Total / % Participants / % Population Less than 5 - 1 / 2% - - - 1 / 2% / .1% 5 to 10 1 / 2% 3 / 7% - - - 4 / 10% / .5% 11 to 15 - 3 / 7% 2 / 5% - - 5 / 12% / .6% 16 to 20 - 3 / 7% 7 /17% 3 / 7% - 13/31%/2% Over 20 - 3 / 7% 4/10% 7/17% 4/10% 18/ 43%/2% Total Respondents 1 13 13 10 4 41*/100%/5% * One participant did not respond to the Computer Use. Section C statements and questions solicited for and collected e-mail load data, and e-mail handling or management data pertaining to the e-mail load reported. Looking at the estimated average number of e-mail messages sent daily by the respondents 12 respondents or 29 percent sent fewer than 10, 17 respondents or 40 percent sent between 11 and 20, 10 respondents or 24 percent sent between 21 and 30, only two respondents or four percent sent between 31 and 40, and no respondents reported sending more than 40, however, one participant or two percent did not respond to this survey questionnaire item. The estimated average number of e-mail messages received daily by the respondents was as follows: no one reported receiving fewer than 10 e-mail messages, 16 respondents or 38 percent reported receiving between 11 and 20 e-mail messages, 14 respondents or 33 percent reported receiving between 21 and 30 e-mail messages, eight respondents or 19 percent reported receiving between 31 and 40 e-mail messages, and four respondents or 10 percent reported receiving more than 40 e-mail messages. O f those e-mail messages received, respondents answered the question about the percent of e-mail messages they keep. Only one respondent or two percent of participants saved everything. Of the rest, 22 respondents or 54 percent save at least 50 percent but less than 100 percent of their e-mail messages; 22 respondents or 28 percent save more than 25 percent but less than 50 percent of their e-mail messages; and, seven respondents or 16 percent save less than 25 percent of their e-mail messages. Table 31 below has the results. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 81 Table 31 Percent of E-mail Messages Received and Saved % o f E-mail Messages Received and Saved Number / % Participants Number / % Population Less than 25% 7 /16% 7 / .9% At least 25% but less than 50% 12/28% 12/1% At least 50% but less than 100% 22 / 54% 22 / 3% 100% 1 / 2% 1 / .1% Total 42 /100% 42 / 5% Of those e-mail messages received, respondents answered the question about the percent of e-mail messages they delete. Only one respondent or two percent of participants delete everything. Of the rest, 23 respondents or 54 percent delete at least 50 percent but less than 100 percent of their e-mail messages; nine respondents or 22 percent delete more than 25 percent but less than 50 percent of their e-mail messages; and nine respondents or 22 percent delete less than 25 percent of their e-mail messages. Table 32 below has the results. Table 32 Percent of E-mail Messages Received and Deleted % o f E-mail Messages Received and Deleted Number / % Participants Number / % Population Less than 25% 9 / 22% 9/1% At least 25% but less than 50% 9 / 22% 9 /1% At least 50% but less than 100% 23 / 54% 23 / 3% 100% 1 / 2% 1 / .1% Total 42 / 100% 42 / 5% When asked which e-mail messages they keep the respondents generally stated they keep all work related e-mail messages. Only one respondent claimed to keep all e-mail messages. All other respondents claimed to keep e-mail messages that met their criteria, the basis of which most often was relevance to their work. Most respondents expressed they keep those e-mail messages that are highly relevant to their work or that are pertaining to policy or practice procedures. Clearly, in their responses, the respondents reveal the nature of information contained in the e-mail messages. The e-mail message content ranges from task related information, to coordination of meetings, to practice procedures, to policy, and to training and development information. Some of the comments from the respondents are available below: ■ “I keep all messages, which I deem important enough to keep for future reference. I am one of the individuals sited for excess messages but old messages have played an important part in the overall management support provided to ... division personnel” ■ “Administrative Procedures Customer Problem Resolutions Some Command Policy Emails.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 82 “1- Pertaining to Budget 2- pertaining to Policy 3- pertaining to projects i.e. Y2K, major upgrades - these are deleted after a lessons learned is disseminated. 4- those that require follow-up 5- messages that pertain to personnel whom I supervise 6- pertaining to Contracts that I monitor” “I keep all messages specifically related to work.” “Anything that is specifically related to my job, including e-mails passing on information to assist me in understanding my job.” “ 1.Government notices 2. Training notices 3. Work related emails (Job specific) 4. Equipment outages” “Messages that pertain to my responsibilities. Some that may serve as a reference, such as policy, procedure, etc., messages.” “Business related” “I keep all emails pertaining to work requirements. Most of the ones from my supervisors.” “Mostly work related, personnel and training info, and meeting minutes.” “All but the most irrelevant to my work” “Mainly specific taskings and key subjects regarding issues and projects I am working on.” “Messages from customers.” “E-mails with scheduled meeting dates and times, E-mails with Things to do. E-mails requesting system changes or assistance. E-mails requesting time for a meeting. E-mails that say IMPORTANT in the subject line.” “Any pertaining to specific projects I'm involved in. Any informational (notice of policy, directorate and division meeting reports, etc). Notification of meetings that I need to be aware of.” “e-mail messages pertaining to my job and responsibilities” “emails that pertain to a project that I am working on emails that give some type of approval- this can be for work related or personal emails that give instruction for a technical solution such as a systems admin instructions on how to do something to correct a problem” “Messages that require action on my part or that provide useful information for my employment (i.e. training instructions, Human Resource information, administrative policies etc.).” “Those which are job-related, career-related, or functionally or organizationally significant. Those with medium-to-high future potential value (filed for future reference when action is completed).” “Work related e-mail I keep. It's serves as my history of events with the customer.” “Appointments, meetings, administrative information, information related to latest work project.” “Messages that pertain to actual work related effort.” “User issues, useful organization information, technical discussions and threads, completed work requests, pending work requests (keep those as ‘unread’), important sent mail receipts to act as a reminder that a response is pending, meeting minutes, budget information, contractual information." “I keep email 1) which I feel are necessary for any historical purpose, 2) for verification of tasks assigned or work prioritization, 3) for summations of meetings, 4) for record of work requests, and of course 5) anything related to controversy or dispute. I get aggravated when the SAs tell me to delete mail to free up space on the servers because email is a large part of my ‘paperless record keeping, especially since I don't have a formal process’." “project-related and administrative e-mails” “Work related messages. Policy or other organizational messages that are needed for reference.” “Keep ones related to an event (meetings/work actions) until the event has passed/been completed. Keep ones with contact info that MAY BE of use Keep ones with reference info links that MAY BE of use Keep ones with reference type attachments MAY Be of use Periodically (1-2 years) if above refs not used I will delete” “I retain and eventually archive pretty much everything” “All” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 83 ■ “Only work specific e-mails” ■ “I keep e-mail that deal with things that I need to accomplish at work. Any that have information that I feel I will need at a later time. E-mails that deal with any personnel issues that I have requested from OHR. Any that have meeting schedules.” ■ “Any related to a project of program I work with. Also, items that may be useful for future reference, e.g. list of address & phones, and maps or directions.” ■ “Anything that I think I might need to reference later. Tasking information. Reminders of meetings.” When asked which e-mail messages they delete the respondents generally stated they delete all non-work related e-mail messages. Only one respondent claimed to delete no e-mail messages intentionally. Most respondents who delete the non-work related e-mail messages, or those messages they considered irrelevant or “junk,” gave examples of the type of messages they considered irrelevant or junk. Some respondents, however, claimed they were deleting e-mail messages because the information was redundant or could be obtained or recalled elsewhere on the network or within the organization. Most examples of junk e-mail being deleted has content pertaining to extra curricular activities such as bake sales associated with the command recreation association known as OSPRA, or social events such as luncheons for personal events (wedding and baby showers) and professional events (retirements or departures), and promotion and awards ceremonies. Several of the respondents describe the irrelevant e-mail as SPAM. Some of the responses are available below: ■ “Those that I consider‘ junk.’ For example, bake good sales...” ■ “SPAM announcements to All Organizational personnel that are personal parties 2- Information that I know is duplicated elsewhere i.e. HelpDesk reports 3- Multiple Thread messages - keep the last thread 4- Messages containing documents - detach the document first 5- regularly (every 6-8weeks) clean out the SENT queue for redundant messages. ■ Informational/notifications (i.e., regular meeting reminders) - General information (i.e., bake sales, ticket sales, employee attendance, and notifications that are not pertinent to my daily activities). - Directive updates and information on Command act” ■ “Anything that is of a personal nature (lunch announcements, retirement parties etc.)” ■ “E-mail messages not directly related to me” ■ “Anything that does not specifically relate to my job.” ■ “Miscellaneous items (Non-related work items) i.e., Retirement Luncheons, non-essential information.” * “Messages that are not directly related to what my division or I do to satisfy mission requirements.” ■ “SPAM” ■ “The ones that aren't work related.” ■ “OSPRA, luncheon announcements, baby showers, past meeting announcements, any with old or no longer needed info. ■ HR promotions, EEO info re events, Scott - Gen info such as Staff Meet sch for... baby ann, - - basically any gen house keeping things that are not permanent or policy.” ■ “Occasional irrelevant messages about retirements, unclaimed mail, network outages, etc.” ■ “General e-mail (OSPRA, Sick personnel, etc.).” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 84 * “A nnouncem ents, baby, events, things not pertaining directly to m e.” ■ “baby showers Bake sales Retirement Luncheons Farewell luncheons cc's just to be kept in information/issue transfer loops notices of web postings Help desk notices Personnel absence notifications” ■ “I mostly delete e-mail messages that pertain to return receipts, Birthday/retirement announcements, Rec Association functions, and ‘out of office replies.’” ■ “OSPRA messages, outages, luncheon notices (too many!)” ■ “Notice of parties, retirements, births, trips, bake sales, etc. Notice that someone is out for the day.” ■ “retirements announcements” ■ “emails that tell me when someone is not in today or coming in late emails for outages notifications all emails for regarding OSPRA activities all emails for someone’s going away luncheon any personal emails that I get for invites to lunch, coffee (anything personal)” ■ “After I have read the emails, I delete those that provide general notifications or one-time events information. Basically, I delete emails that do not require action on my part, events that have past, or that provide no useful information to me.” ■ “Those without anticipated lasting significant value, especially organizational SPAM, and announcements of no interest or concern (to me personally).” ■ “Recreational & all outdated e-mails” ■ “notifications of birthdays, leave notifications, misc. general information, completed actions” ■ “Messages that pertain to notifications about outages bake sales, going away parties, etc.” ■ “Bake sales, people not at work, equipment outages at sites that do not impact me, messages that do not contain work-related issues or information, account termination notices that do not impact me, meeting notices that have expired, invitations to meetings that are in my calendar.” ■ “All the spam about name changes, luncheons, etc. from people I don't even know.” ■ “delete receipts and outage messages at the beginning of each month, delete all messages over 90 days old” ■ “SPAM type e-mails. Invitations to luncheons and other e-mail messages that are not relevant to me.” ■ “Routine notifications (i.e. HelpDesk report availability)” ■ “None, intentionally” ■ “Parties, helpdesk daily reports, read and forget messages” ■ “SPAM, those that contain minimal info for use in the future.” ■ “OSPRA information, retirement information, etc. Anything that is no longer needed for work or reference.” When asked how they organize the e-mail messages they save the respondents provided a wide range of responses, from keeping the e-mail messages in their in-box to organizing e-mail messages into other folders that were ordered by subject, sender, time/date, project, area of responsibility, organization, or some combination of these perspectives. Most respondents maintain other folders within their in-box for organizing their e-mail messages and most organize their messages by subject only. One respondent reported a complex scheme for organizing e-mail messages that required consideration of the topic, project to which it was related, the sender, organizational unit, and time/date. Less than 25 percent of the respondents indicated they leave their e-mail messages in the in-box and use the sorting capability to locate messages for which they might be looking. Some of the responses are available below: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 85 ■ “I have certain in-boxes, which I will move subject matter mail to them. I.e. Policy Folder, FOUO Folder. I do not archive, as not sure anyone has ever received instructions on how to archive messages for easy retrieval in the future. If I need to find a generic mail and think I know the individual, who sent it will sort messages by name. Occasionally I will do a search if all else fails.” ■ “In monthly folders and specific emails i.e., COMSEC, Budget in its own folder.” ■ “The organized by subject matter” ■ “Messages requiring some type of action or research are placed in an action item folder. Messages containing information to be added to my calendar or to be read at a later time are left in my in-box (highlighted in red as a reminder) and I usually take action within 1-2 days.” ■ “I keep them in mail folders.” ■ “I organize my e-mail messages by subject matter.” ■ “I try to organize them based upon based upon areas that I work in ... Then have them sorted by arrival, then if I need to find one by individual, I change the sort order to individuals name.” ■ “Initially they stay in my in-box and periodically (once per quarter) I file them in folders by subject.” ■ “Folder system by customer, project, system, business unit, internal division, technology, reference material, receipts, For Action, CIO Responsibility Areas” ■ “In box and supervisor's name” ■ “By subject, i.e. specific work areas, meeting-minutes, personnel, security, and training. I leave current mail in my inbox as a ‘to do list. Once the action has passed, I store them in the appropriate folder or delete them.’” ■ “I attempt to sort them into subject folders” ■ “Key subjects go into folders and current taskings are in the inbox.” ■ “I sort my mail in the morning and afternoon into the appropriate folder” ■ “Keep in inbox by date. Sort by sender Keep one calendar year active for non-deleted e-mails, Keep for historical reference. Delete prior calendar years.” ■ “I create folders, which are organized by subject. I try to keep a small amount of e-mail messages in my in-box by keeping only e-mail messages that haven't been read or resolved. When I am finished with the e-mail messages, they are either placed into its proper folder or deleted.” ■ “The majority I keep in the in-box, by date. Others I organize in folders by subject.” ■ “In-box: those that I will act on within the week, notification of meetings, those that are ‘on going communications between multiple parties. Ordered by the date received. Other folders: all other emails that I will keep.’” ■ “I organize them by projects, date and time” ■ “I organize the email messages that I keep by subject and try very hard to file them away. But often is the case that my inbox is full of unorganized messages.” ■ “By sender and subject.” ■ “File in folders by ‘action area’ or ‘topic’ or ‘function.’ Sometimes, if volume is high will create a folder for the above for each fiscal year or other time period. Keep many in ‘IN-BOX’ for ready reference and until current action is completed, (many of these are 'highlighted' by re-setting the ‘not-read’ feature to indicate their priority). Unfortunately, we cannot control some of these filing features in each folder, and often they are reset/re-sorted by the software (to my frustration). When searching, will re-sort by sender, date, topic, etc. Use folders for file and future reference.” ■ “I create folders for my e-mail. I create folders for each of my customers, my administrative duties, and for each contractor, I deal with.” ■ “All e-mails are organized by Subject/Chain of Command (Dept., Div., Section) Easier to track” ■ “By topic or project” ■ “I keep them in there default folders. Inbox and Sent box. If I need to find a subject or message from someone, I use my search command.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 86 ■ “Depends on the situation. Mostly, keep everything in my in-box sorted by date; create other folders to contain topics where I expect a significant amount of e-mail traffic. Occasionally order messages by sender when looking for historical information or to re-read an entire thread on a topic. I never sort by Subject as I use the search capability to find special Keywords that gets me the desired results.” ■ “I'm not very good about organizing my email. Mostly I am able to query them by sender or subject.” ■ “store e-mail messages in folders related to projects” * “Archive to folders.” ■ “Keep them in the inbox - use message marking to track new arrivals, follow-up required, etc” ■ “I keep them in my inbox by date” ■ “By subject in individual mailboxes.” ■ “Keep them in the in-box, sorted by incoming date.” ■ “Some e-mails are sent to folders that I've set up, i.e., Actions, Office Administrative, Budget, Leave & TDY, etc. The others are left in the inbox.” * “I have 85 folders that I created to hold emails related to just about every subject/topic/project where I have some involvement. Some are really just archives as the project is completed or long dormant. Overall, any active project (i.e., kept by subject) has a folder to store items.” ■ “I have folders organized by subject for the most part. Some sub-folders as well. I archive messages to another mail file if I might need them for historical purposes.” ■ “My emails are organized by subject, in folders. I mention above, initially most of my action emails go into the ‘pending/action’ folder... Every six months, I check my folder to see if any can be delete." The respondents reported collectively 46,818 e-mail messages when asked how many e-mail messages in their in-box at the time they were completing the survey questionnaire. The number ranged from as few as 15 e-mail messages up to 5,654 e-mail messages. The mean number of e-mail messages is 1,115 and the mode is 200 e-mail messages. Table 33 below summarizes the data reported: Table 33 Number of E-mail Messages in In-boxes Number o f E-mail Messages Total / % Participants Total / % Population 100 or less 19/45% 19/2% 101 to 1000 10/24% 10/1% 1001 to 2000 3 / 7% 3 / .4% 2001 to 3000 5 / 12% 5 / .6% 3001 to 4000 - - 4001 to 5000 4/10% 4 / .5% 5001 to 6000 1 / 2% 1 / . 1 % Total 4 2 / 100% 42 / 5% The respondents reported collectively 95,337 e-mail messages when asked how many e-mail messages saved in other folders at the time they were completing the survey questionnaire. The number ranged from as few as 45 e-mail messages up to 24, 475 e-mail messages. The mean number of e-mail messages is 2,383 and the mode is 50 e-mail messages. Two participants did not respond to this survey Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 87 questionnaire item, so the number of respondents was 40 and not 42. Table 34 below summarizes the data reported: Table 34 Number of E-mail Messages Saved in Other Folders Number o f E-mail Messages Total / % Participants Total / % Population 1000 or less 26 / 65% 26 / 3% 1001 to 2000 3 / 7.5% 3 / .4% 2001 to 3000 5 /12.5% 5 / .6% 3001 to 4000 1 / 2.5% 1 / .1% 4001 to 5000 1 / 2.5% 1 / .1% 5001 to 6000 1 / 2.5% 1 / .1% 6001 to 7000 1 / 2.5% 1 / . 1 % * ; J ; 24,001 to 25,000 2 /5% 2 / .3% Total 40* / 95% 40 / 5% * Two participants did not respond to this item. The respondents reported collectively 1,278 other folders they have for organizing their e-mail messages when asked how many other folders they have for organizing their e-mail messages at the time they were completing the survey questionnaire. The number ranged from no folders up to 135 folders. The mean number of e-mail folders is 31 and the mode values are zero, two, and 20 folders. One participant did not respond to this survey questionnaire item, so the number of respondents was 41 and not 42. Three respondents or seven percent reported not using other folders to organize their e-mail messages. Most respondents - 76 percent, however, reported using between one and 50 folders to help them organize their e-mail messages. Three respondents reported using more than 100 other folders to organize their e-mail messages. Table 35 below summarizes the data reported: Table 35 Number of Folders for Organizing E-mail Messages Number o f Folders Total / % Participants Total / % Population 0 3 / 7% 3 / .4% 50 or less 31 / 76% 31 / 4% 51 to 100 4/10% 4/1% 101 to 150 3 / 7% 3 / .4% Total 41*/98% 41/5% * One participant did not respond to this item. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Collectively, the respondents reported 1,995 minutes per day when asked, how much time they spend a day managing their e-mail. The number of minutes spent ranged from five minutes per day to 180 minutes per day. The mean number of minutes spent is 50 and the mode is 30 minutes. Two participants did not respond to this survey questionnaire item, so the number of respondents was 40 and not 42. Table 36 below summarizes the data reported: Table 36 Number of Minutes Spent Daily Managing E-mail Number o f Minutes Total / % Participants Total / % Population Less than 30 9/21% 9 /1% Between 30 and 59 16/38% 16/2% Between 60 and 89 8 /19% 8/1% Between 90 and 119 3 / 7% 3 / .4% Greater than 129 4/10% 4/1% Total 40* / 95% 40 / 5% * Two participants did not respond to this item. When asked how often they need to find stored e-mail messages the respondents indicated they do so daily (11 respondents or 26 percent), weekly (20 respondents or 48 percent), or monthly (11 respondents or 26 percent). No respondents indicated quarterly or annually. Table 37 below summarizes the data reported: Table 37 Frequency of Need to Find Stored E-mail Messages Frequency Total / % Participants Total / % Population Daily 11/26% 11 / 1% Weekly 20 / 48% 20 / 3% Monthly 11 / 26% 11 / 1% Quarterly - - Annually - - Total 4 2 / 100% 42 / 5% Collectively, the respondents reported 194 e-mail messages for which they are searching when asked, on average, how many e-mail messages for which they search. The number of e-mail messages ranged from one to 20 messages. The mean number of e-mail messages is five and the mode is five e-mail messages. One participant did not respond to this survey questionnaire item, so the number of respondents was 41 and not 42. Table 38 below summarizes the data reported: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 38 Number of Messages for which Respondents’ Search Number o f E-mail Messages Total / % Participants Total / % Population 1 to 5 messages 34 / 83% 34/4% 6 to 10 messages 3 / 7% 3 / .4% 10 or more messages 4/10% 4 / .6% Total 41*/98% 41 / 5% * One participant did not respond to this item. Combining the data about frequency of search and number of messages for which they search reveals a more complete picture of retrieval activity. Search activity is relatively frequent as approximately 60 percent of the participants are searching daily or weekly for one to five e-mail messages. When expanded to include monthly searchers, approximately 83 percent of the participants are searching for one to five e-mail messages. Table 39 below summarizes the combined data: Table 39 Frequency and Number of Messages for which Respondents’ Search Number of E-mail messages Frequency 1 to 5 messages 6 to 10 messages 10 or more messages Total / % Participants / % Population Daily 10 1 11 / 27% / .01% Weekly 15 3 2 20/49%/.03% Monthly 9 - 1 10/24%/.01% Quarterly - - - - Annually - - - - Total 34 3 4 41*/98%/5% * One participant did not respond to the number o f e-mail messages for which they search. Section D rounded out the survey questionnaire by soliciting for general reactions from the participants. Section D was the closing section that openly solicited the participants for their perception of their experience of information overload using e-mail. When asked if they experience information overload, 19 respondents or 45 percent indicated yes and 23 respondents or 55 percent indicated no. Of the 19 respondents, indicating yes, 16 of them or 38 percent responded affirmatively when asked if e-mail is contributing to their experience of information overload. Only three respondents or seven percent indicated that e-mail does not contribute to their experience of information overload. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 90 Those respondents indicating they experience information overload and further indicating that e-mail contributes to their experience of information overload provided some explanation of their response. Only 15 of the 16 respondents provided such an explanation: ■ “If I am ‘courtesy copied’ on a message that is informational only, and if I do not have the time at that moment to decide if I really need to receive this info in the future, I usually continue to receive these messages until I make a decision. Also, when cc: on a message, you are notified every time a response/action takes place until the action/task is resolved. Usually 2-3 people are responding back and forth to the same e-mail and providing a courtesy copy to each addressee every time an action takes place until the issue is ‘resolved.’” ■ “It can when you receive a lot of non-related info and have to filter through all of the e-mails to determine what you need and don't need.” ■ “Mail queues develop until I can close actions from mail messages that require an action from me or someone else. Number of mail messages that contain a large volume of content required to read in order to determine the main point or points in the message. How many action items do I get from mail messages received.” ■ “You go to an all day meeting and find a couple pages of e-mails, voice mails, papers in the in-basket etc. It is hard to get through everything quickly and sort out what is number one.” ■ “A few of points: 1. A good deal of the information is not applicable specifically to me. Therefore, one could argue that is not the best utilization of time. 2. Some personnel use e-mail in such a way that conversation ensues. After repeated e-mails back and forth, the conclusion is: ‘We need to have a meeting.’ Being that writing takes a much longer time than simply verbal communications, a considerable amount of time is lost. The worst of it is - the personnel are within 50 feet. For myself, many times I will cease to reply at some point and go see the person. My perspective is that if someone knows they may have that many questions/concerns, they should schedule a meeting. I realize that meetings are believed to be a ‘waste’ by many, but they do still have a place. 3. Some e-mail, although it is work related, would perhaps be better served with a one-on-one correspondence vice a ‘Reply to all’ to every message when it is mainly just two persons in acting the replying.” ■ “By being included as a cc on e-mail issues of any kind, you are not sure whether you are responsible for the issues, expected to perform some undefined task or solve some problem. Too much e-mail information not specifically addressed to me, results in <DELETE>” ■ “I am the type of individual who cannot let e-mail back up. I feel I have to read it and answer it that day. So much information comes in each day, that I read it and highlight it again so that I can refer to it later. Sometimes I go back and am surprised by how much I have to refer to again. I feel I can't absorb it all sometimes.” ■ “There are times that I feel there is more information than I need or can handle and since e-mail is the major form in which I receive information, I would have to agree that e-mail is contributing.” ■ “Yes, but in many cases, email just replaces paper for business. Email process provides more information - often/usually worthwhile additional information, which I might not have previously received. Therefore can better do my job with the additional information, and certainly feel more ‘involved and knowledgeable.’” ■ “I physically get stressed by the amount of e-mail I receive and need to respond too. The key is that the e-mails I receive, I need to respond to. They are predominately from customers regarding work and I want to be responsive to the customer base. It's an ironic paradox. Too much e-mail is stressful, but without e-mail, I wouldn't be able to quickly share information with my customers. I would spend days on fax machines sending and receiving documents. E-mail is a necessary evil. I'm actually relieved when I receive and e-mail and it is an announcement as I know I don't have and action and can delete it!!!” ■ “Every time I open email someone wants something done or a commitment and have it done ASAP. I don't have a formal process for receiving work requests or prioritizing so it's very Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 91 easy for people to overload me. If they had to talk to me in person, they'd plan much better because then they wouldn't want me to look at them in the face and say ‘What, you want it when?? Also then they would have a better appreciation of all the other things I'm doing for other people. Email let's people off the hook of planning or responsibility because it's too easy to say ‘Well I sent you an email...” ” ■ “Actually, e-mail assists me in being able to better organize information. When information is received verbally, it is quite often jotted on a yellow sticky and soon loses its importance. E-mail, too, can result in the same difficulties if not organized properly. However, recently I have realized that I need to adopt a method of improving information flow for the projects in my group. I plan to attempt to organize the data in a Lotus Notes database to minimize the flow of e-mail.” ■ “I get e-mail that is not relevant to me or the performance of my job.” ■ “There is an increase in the shear volume of data (possibly there is a data overload). As a senior manager there is much data I have to read and determine its meaning (converting data to information). For example, what may be considered as SPAM may be an announcement that means nothing to me personally but may be something I need to emphasis to the people who work for me as an opportunity to broaden their experience or expertise. I must read e-mail not just for me but for all who work for me, and, in some cases, for the directorate. I try to find the nuggets that may be missed by others and try to convert the data to information by adding my assessment of the importance or value of the data.” ■ “While I'm not sure of the definition of info-overload my impression is that information in large quantity is ubiquitous. Certainly technology allows us to publish a volume of material (magazines, books, emails!) that was not seen just a couple of decade ago. I wonder to some extent if the ‘publish or perish’ syndrome is permeating many fields outside of academia. At the same time in the IT business the technology changes so fast the corresponding volume of related information probably is reasonable but not necessarily desirable. I don't know if the same holds true in non-technical disciplines. More to the point, email is just one more avenue for receiving information and thus does contribute to the overload (but I make no assertion that it is disproportionate)” When asked if they perceive that their colleagues experience information overload, 23 respondents or 55 percent indicated yes and 17 respondents or 40 percent indicated no. There were two participants or five percent that did not respond to this survey questionnaire item. All 23 respondents indicating an affirmative response and 16 respondents indicating negative response provided some explanation of their perceptions - see below with the explanations for the affirmative responses presented first, followed by the explanations for the negative responses. In general, the affirmative comments are mostly attributable to hearing their colleagues talk about their feelings about or conditions of information overload. Other indications of their colleagues’ experiences with information overload rest their own experiences, which they inductively attributed to their colleagues. In addition, some claimed to make physical observations of the frustration experienced by their colleagues. Some of the affirmative response explanations are available below: ■ “The IT field changes so frequently that it is almost impossible to stay an ‘expert for very long.’” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 92 ■ “When reviewing messages in which my colleagues are provided a courtesy copy, I perceive that the content of the message is usually tasking 2-3 individuals to provide the same action/response.” ■ “Because quite often I hear them talking to their computer screen while their command email is up. I gather that they would prefer not getting some of the email messages they get.” ■ “For what I do, I get a lot of e-mail, I would also think this of my co-workers, not including upper management, and their additional responsibilities which would be increased by a larger factor.” ■ “I hear them say the same thing.” ■ “If nothing else, the constant comments about how much e-mail they receive while I am standing nearby. Also comments such as ‘Do I care? while they are reading their mail seem to be a common theme.”’ ■ “I think my colleagues receive a similar number of unsolicited e-mails. There is not enough time in the day to respond to everything so you pick your top 10 and manage from there.” ■ “I have heard people complaining that when they are out for just one day, they are overloaded with emails upon their return.” ■ “I think it is a way of life for individuals in our field. Some individuals feel that everything has to be expressed in e-mail, even things that should not be sent. The problem with e-mail is that people use it to vent, and it can cause hard feelings. I've seen it happen a lot lately.” ■ “Based on the complains (comments made) about the number of e-mails (mostly junk mail) received made in general conversations, I would say that my colleagues experience information overload as well.” ■ “They ignore incoming messages. Often don't read all of messages sent to them, sometimes requiring an additional request for information already sent/received. General office talk of information overload. Comments about email backlog and mass deletions especially following an absence from the office. Sometimes valuable information is deleted in error.” ■ “I've seen colleagues as physically taxed or stressed as I am concerning volume of mail they need to respond to. However, the alternate way of doing business without e-mail would be more stressful and less efficient. I feel information overload can be attributed to trying to do more with less resources. It's already a stressful environment, with e-mail at it's core.” ■ “Appears that reading and answering e-mail takes priority over other duties. Therefore sometimes delays happens when it comes to performing timely repairs, on site surveys etc.” ■ “Just hear people talking about all the emails they get and the time it takes to sort through them especially after being out of the office on leave.” ■ “I feel that too much e-mail is being distributed on a daily basis and that I contribute to annoying the engineers with endless questions. Hopefully, the Lotus Notes database will assist in organizing this information in a less annoying way.” ■ “Per discussion with them or overhearing them discuss the number of e-mails that they receive.” ■ “I perceive those who work for me, not processing all of the information through the e-mail, such as meetings or information needed to prepare for meetings.” ■ “I think some people have a tendency to over estimate their own importance. They believe the more emails you send/receive the more important you are. Some people like to get too long-winded on their mail instead of just sticking to the point in a few short sentences. They also like to ‘cc’ everyone to short how important they are or perceive they are. Information overload is their own fault if it does happen. The more emails you send and the longer they are, the more you get. Mine are short and straight to the point. ‘I get in and 1 get out’ so to speak.” In general, the negative comments were less informative. They included explanations such as they have not heard their colleagues complain about information overload, they have not seen it, they had too little information to make a conclusion, or they had no idea. Some of the negative response explanations Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. are available below: 93 ■ “To the best of my knowledge, I do not believe anyone is experiencing any major information overload. Again, there is probably what I previously called ‘anticipation from some senders, which may cause a sudden overload stress feeling.’” ■ “Haven’t really heard any complaints about too many emails or having too much information. In fact, I think the opposite may be more true...lack of information and lack of communication. I’ve certainly heard complaints about this. Sometimes people think an email sent is an email read and understood. This misconception feeds the mushroom feeling some have regarding lack of information and lack of communication, (mushroom feeling = being kept in the dark)” ■ “I don't notice any overt sign that info overload is occurring.” ■ “No one has indicated this to me. Further, I do not believe that I fully understand what you mean by ‘information overload. A definition in your words might have been helpful.’” ■ “I do not believe this because of the size of our company and the use of bulletin boards we do not receive as much mail as a larger company would.” ■ “I do not perceive my colleagues experience information overload, maybe just responsibility overload. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them.” ■ “I have not heard anyone complaining about e-mail overload.” ■ “There are days when people are stuck on an issue where additional e-mails asking for immediate action may contribute to distress. However, I don't perceive that this a daily occurrence and the people I work with are professional and seem to be able to handle the vast amount of information that is sent to them on a daily basis.” ■ “The only other person I notice getting information overload is my supervisor, because, he, like myself, gets forgetful because he gets inundated with so many requests via email.” ■ “That dazed, deer in the headlights look, has got to be something else.” ■ “Everyone seems to use e-mail for all purposes. I think that if info overload was the case, people would use e-mail less than normal.” ■ “No idea, really.” Data from Audit Records This section summarizes the data collected using the audit record collection tool, data collection Part IV. The research plan called for installation of the tool on the e-mail account of each participant the evening of Thursday October 17, 2002 and un-installation the evening of Monday November 4, 2002. This period covered 18 24-hour segments of e-mail activity for each participant. The tool collected the user name, date, time, and specific activity, by the code defined in Table 40 below: Table 40 E-mail Activity Event Coding Scheme E-mail Activity Event Code New message sent S New message received M Reply message sent R Forward message sent F Message deleted D Message filed or saved O Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 94 The total count of activity - all events recorded during this period - is 26,152, or an average of 623 events per participant. This average and those that follow are without consideration of participant attendance during each of the 24-hour segments. In addition, there is a bias when a participant is not in attendance, as they cannot send, reply, and forward messages; however, they will receive messages. The total number of new messages sent is 1,103, or an average of 26 per participant, or more interesting is this is less than two e-mail messages sent each 24-hour segment. The total number of new messages received is 10,911, or 260 per participant, or approximately 14 per participant per 24-hour segment. The total number of messages to which participants replied is 1,656, or 39 per participant, or just over two per participant per 24-hour segment. The total number of messages forwarded to others is 627, or 15 per participant, or less than one per participant per 24-hour segment. The number of messages deleted is 8,580, or 204 per participant, or just over 11 per participant per 24-hour segment. The final activity is the number of messages filed or saved and that is 3,275, or 78 per participant, or approximately 4 per participant per 24- hour segment. After combining all outgoing messages the average number of messages per participant per 24-hour segment is just less than five. The tables below present the total activity by event. Table 41 reflects all events as recorded, and Table 42 reflects all events, however all outgoing messages were combined and presented as if they were a single event under all outgoing messages: Table 41 E-mail Total Activity for the Period E-mail Activity Event Code Total Activity Average Per Participant Average Per Participant Per 24-Hour Segment New message sent S 1,103 26 1.4 New message received M 10,911 260 14.4 Reply message sent R 1,656 39 2.2 Forward message sent F 627 15 .8 Message deleted D 8,580 204 11.3 Message filed or saved O 3,275 78 4.3 Total - 26,152 623 34.6 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 95 Figure 1 below illustrates the proportional split of e-mail activity events as a part of the whole. Figure 1 E-mail Activity Proportionally By Event Saved; 13% Sent; 4% Deleted; 33% ▲ Received; 42% Forwarded; 2% Replied; 6% Table 42 E-mail Total Activity for the Period - Combining All Outgoing Messages E-mail Activity Event Code Total Activity Average Per Participant Average Per Participant Per 24-Hour Segment All outgoing messages S,R,F 3,386 81 4.5 New message received M 10,911 260 14.4 Message deleted D 8,580 204 11.3 Message filed or saved 0 3,275 78 4.3 Total - 26,152 623 34.6 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 96 Figure 2 below illustrates the proportional split of e-mail activity events as a part of the whole after combining all outgoing messages into a single event. Figure 2 E-mail Activity Proportionally By Even; Combining All Outgoing Events All Outgoing; 13% Saved; 13% Deleted; 33% Received; 41% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 97 Figure 3 below graphically illustrates the pattern of activity of all events. The peak points correlate directly to Fridays and Mondays, and each valley correlates directly to Saturdays and Sundays. The relatively level areas of the curves correlate to Tuesdays through Thursdays. As graphed, the data indicates that the two most common events are deleting and receiving e-mail messages. In contrast, forwarding and sending e-mail messages are the least occurring events. Figure 3 E-mail Activity: By Event For Each 24-Hour Segment Sample: E-mail Activity 1800 1600 1400 1200 Number 1000 of Events 800 600 400 200 0 Deleted Forwarded Received Saved Replied Sent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 24-Hour Segments Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 98 Figure 4 below graphically illustrates the pattern of activity after combining the events that for all practical meaning indicate messages transmitted by the participant. The message events sent, replied, and forwarded were combined and labeled as “all out-going.” As graphed, the data clearly indicates that the events deleting and receiving e-mail messages are a more common event than all out-going events. It appears that all out-going e-mail message activity is relatively comparable to saving e-mail messages. Figure 4 E-mail Activity: By Event For Each 24-Hour Segment; Combining All Outgoing Events Sample: E-mail Activity 1800 1600 1400 1200 Number 1000 of Events 800 600 400 200 0 Deleted Received Saved All Out Going 24-Hour Segments Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 99 Summary This section is a summary that takes into account the overall perspective on the aggregate of data collected and correlated from the participants / respondents. In other words, the triangulation of the data collected from the participants / respondents is considered in this section. In general, there was consistency in the data collected from multiple sources. Some notable inconsistency, however, was uncovered and explanations are suggested later in this section. The first assessment of all data begins with the 13 participants who were involved in the data collection phase Part I and Part II. During the interview in Part I of the data collection, participants responded to the question does information overload exit in their e-mail environment, and asked again on the survey in Part III, if they experience information overload does e-mail contribute toward that experience? After crosschecking responses, only two respondents of the 13 gave inconsistent responses. All other respondents were consistent in their interview responses and their survey responses. In other words, at the time of the interview 11 respondents indicated that they experience information overload from e-mail, and indicated on the survey that e-mail contributes toward their experience of information overload. Two respondents each stated during their interview that they experience information overload from e-mail, and indicated on their survey that e-mail does not contribute toward information overload. It is not clear why there is this inconsistency in their responses, though, it might be due to the period between the interview and taking the survey. In this period, these participants might have been more aware of their experiences with information overload and, might have decided by the time they completed the survey that e-mail does not contribute toward their feelings of information overload. In addition to assessing the consistency of data regarding the contribution of e-mail toward the experience of information overload, the assessment also helped determine the consistency in responses pertaining to e-mail processing and use of e-mail. Again, the assessment used data from Part I and Part III for this comparative assessment. In general, all participants were consistent with their responses to how they managed their e-mail. For example, all 13 participants organize their e-mail using other folders in their in-box. This was evident in their responses to the interview questions and the consistency in their responses to the survey question pertaining to the number of other folders used for organizing e-mail. Further supporting this consistency are the responses to the question for other uses of e-mail besides basic Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 100 asynchronous communication. All 13 respondents use e-mail for much more than basic communication. The most common response for other use was storage and retrieval of information; they use e-mail as an information repository, or knowledge base. The survey responses pertaining to the number of e-mail messages in their in-boxes and in their other folders supports further these claims. Collectively, this group reported 9,935 e-mail messages stored in their in-box at the time of their response, which is an average of 764 e-mail messages per in-box. This group reported 397 other folders, which they use for organizing their e-mail messages. In these other folders, they reported, as a group, 35,709 e-mail messages stored. These numbers reflect an average number of 31 other folders with an average of 2,976 e-mail messages stored within these other folders. Another indicator supporting the view that e-mail is an information repository is the frequency of searches for information contained in e-mail messages. Among this group of participants two search for e-mail daily, six conduct searches for e-mail weekly, and five conduct searches for e-mail monthly. Collectively, the group reported searching for an estimated 531 messages in a month period, which is an average of 44 e-mail messages for which each respondent is searching during that period. With regard to the entire sample of participants, an assessment looks at the e-mail message load in terms of average number of messages sent and the average number of messages received daily by each participant. The assessment used the data collected from the survey in Part III of data collection and the e-mail activity audit-records from Part IV of the data collection. In general, there was great inconsistency in the number of e-mail messages participants indicated that they send when compared to the activity recorded in their audit records. For example, when comparing their survey response to their activity recorded objectively by the audit-record capture tool, of the 42 participants, only 11 participants or 26 percent showed consistency between their perceived average daily-activity for sending e-mail messages. One observation of this assessment is all participants, that are consistent are in the group that reported on the survey that they perceive that they send less than 10 e-mail messages daily. According to their e-mail activity audit records, this is true. In contrast to those that were highly consistent, there were 27 participants or 64 percent that showed a gross inconsistency between their perceived average daily-activity for sending e-mail messages when comparing their survey response to their activity recorded objectively by the audit-record capture tool. One observation of this assessment is that 18 of these participants or 67 percent of the 27 are in the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 101 group that reported on the survey that they perceive that they send between 11 and 20 e-mail messages daily. According to their e-mail activity audit records, these 18 participants are the only respondents to select that category, so 100% of the participants selecting that category on their survey response, did not demonstrate this activity according to their e-mail activity audit records. In fact, all 18 participants demonstrated activity that was less than a quarter of the low-end of the range - 11 to 20 e-mail messages daily. Nine participants or 21 percent of all participants selected the 21 to 30 e-mail message category on their survey. Of this group seven participants demonstrated activity that was less than a quarter of the low- end of the range - 21 to 30 e-mail messages daily. One participant demonstrated activity that was one third of the low-end of the range - 11 to 20 e-mail messages daily, and two participants demonstrated activity that was half the low-end of the range - 11 to 20 e-mail messages daily. Two participants selected the 31 to 40 category on the survey and both participants demonstrated activity that was less than a quarter of the low-end of that range. No participant selected the category indicating more than 40 e-mail messages sent daily. As for consistency of data pertaining to the number of e-mail messages received, in general, that data is more consistent than the data pertaining to e-mail messages sent; however, there is still much inconsistency. For example, of the 42 participants, 16 participants or 38 percent showed consistency between their perceived average daily-activity for receiving e-mail messages when comparing their survey response to their activity recorded objectively by the audit record capture tool. When considering those respondents that demonstrated by their audit records that they were within at least two thirds of their survey response estimation, 27 participants or 64 percent were somewhat consistent. Of the other participants, seven participants demonstrated activity within 50 percent of the low end of the range of their perceived and estimated level of activity, three were within one third, and five were less than one fourth. One explanation for the inconsistencies between data self-reported by the participants and that data collected independently by the e-mail activity audit-tool might be timing issues such as a participant not being present during the period or part of the period when the audit collection tool was active. In other words, if present the activity for absent participants might otherwise be more consistent with self-reported data on the survey. A review of time and attendance records for the period the audit collection tool was active revealed that one participant, in fact, was not present for 16 of the 18 24-hour segments as he was on Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 102 official travel. The absences were occasional for such matters as scheduled leave or other authorized time off, unscheduled sick leave, or time out of the office for training and professional development. For 1 1 of the 18 24-hour segments the data indicated that between four and seven participants (between seven and 16 percent of all participants) were absent during normal working hours within those segments. Another possibility might be that participants perceive a greater level of activity for both sending and receiving e-mail messages as they feel overwhelmed and therefore, perceive a greater message load than is actually experienced. Another possible explanation might be that the period during which the audit collection tool was active was coincidentally a period of low-level activity for the organization - natural ebb in the workload. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 103 Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Future Research Introduction In a relatively short period, e-mail has become an essential part of the workplace. E-mail is a vital part of communication and instrumental in acquiring, sharing, and exchanging information both within and outside an organization. E-mail introduced to the workplace new capabilities for communicating by offering easy to use features and functions to more than just a few in the workplace. For example, e-mail introduced extreme flexibility to all users of the e-mail software application with features and functions such as easy multiple addressing; the creation of mailing lists for automatic addressing in bulk, easy reply and redirection capabilities; privacy indicators and protections; and return receipts. These are just a few examples. In addition to basic asynchronous communication, e-mail also offers functionality that enables users to manage e-mail message content and manage communicated information. E-mail users use e-mail as a data repository or a database that is searchable by many perspectives to retrieve the data or information stored within the e-mail system. In addition, users of e-mail can apply principles of organization to arrange and structure folders for ease of storing, retrieving, and using the information contained within or attached to e-mail messages. There is, however, the potential for information overload through e-mail. No matter how well organized and disciplined one might be, volume and content might be overwhelming, especially to those less structured and disciplined. Too many e-mail messages or too many e-mail messages with a lot of content, or both, can lead to negative consequences such as confusion and frustration, which in turn might result in poor decisions. Information overload from e-mail is real and complex. In addition, important and useful e-mail messages might go unread if managing e-mail becomes too daunting and too time consuming for workers. This research study examined the role of e-mail as a contributing factor in information overload in the Department of Navy Information Systems and Technology (IS AT) Support Office. The research study design enabled discovery of how members of the ISAT Support Office manage their e-mail to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload when using e-mail. This chapter presents the discussion, conclusions for this research, and presents recommendations for further research. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 104 Discussion The ISAT Support Office participants are highly and technically skilled workers. Thirty-seven participants or 88 percent are specialists in one or more of the information technology skill areas, while five participants or 12 percent serve in a support role for those specialists. The participants are well educated and greatly experienced. Sixty-seven percent of the participants reported having either a masters or a bachelors degree, while 11 participants or 26 percent reported some college. Only three participants or seven percent reported a high school level education. In terms of experience using computers 18 participants or 44 percent reported over 20 years of experience, 18 other participants or 44 percent reported between 10 and 20 years of experience using computers, and only five participants or 12 percent reported less than 10 years of experience using computers. More specifically, in terms of experience using e-mail software applications, there was slightly less experience reported. This might be evidence that e-mail software applications are still relatively new technology in terms of general and daily use in the workplace. Only five participants or 12 percent reported over 20 years experience using e-mail software applications. Twenty-three participants or 55 percent reported between 10 and 20 years experience using e-mail software applications, and 14 participants or 33 percent reported less than 10 years experience using e-mail software applications. Those reporting lesser years of experience using computers map closely to those reporting lesser years of experience using e-mail suggesting that both computer technology and e-mail software applications are relatively new in the workplace and something that has proliferated greatly in the past two decades. With regard to the experience of information overload the data reported indicates the level of education or years of experience using computers in general and using e-mail software applications specifically does not affect the respondents’ perspective. For example, looking at the three participants reporting a high school level of education, they reported from 11 to over 20 years of experience, and two of the three participants experience information overload when using e-mail. Similarly, of those participants reporting masters degree level of education they reported from 5 to over 20 years of experience, five of the eight experience information overload in general, and four of the eight participants experience information overload in general and when using e-mail. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 105 As for managing their e-mail messages, there appeared to be consistency across the ranges of education level and years of experience using computers and using e-mail. In general, participants used other folders for organizing and managing e-mail messages. Again, highlighting the relative ends of the range, those participants with less education averaged 28 other folders for organizing and managing e-mail messages and those with more education averaged 40 other folders for organizing and managing e-mail messages. Although there is a significant difference in the number of other folders, one explanation might be the e-mail message load experienced. The lesser-educated participants reported less e-mail message load than those of a higher education level. For example, looking at the lesser educated participants; the average number of e-mail messages in the in-box and other folders was 1,827 and 625, respectively. For those more educated participants, the average number of e-mail messages in the in-box and other folders was 1,370 and 4,720 e-mail messages, respectively. It is unclear what this might suggest. Nonetheless, this research study design does not support exploring this observation any further. In contrast to education and years of experience using computers in general and using e-mail specifically, there is some indication that there is a difference in the experience of information overload between those at different levels of the organization. The managers and senior technical participants are more inclined to report experiencing information overload in general and information overload specifically when using e-mail. The technical, and technical and administrative support participants are less likely to report experiencing information overload in general and information overload specifically when using e-mail. As a group, 12 of the managers and senior technical participants or 57 percent of that group reported experiencing information overload in general and 10 of the participants of that group or 48 percent reported experiencing information overload specifically when using e-mail. With regard to the technical, and technical and administrative support participants, as a group, only seven of the participants or 33 percent of that group reported experiencing information overload in general and only six of the participants of that group or 29 percent reported experiencing information overload specifically when using e-mail. Notwithstanding the lack of consistency between the data self-reported by participants on the survey questionnaire and the audit record data collected objectively and automatically for a brief period, the data suggests that the perceived e-mail message load generated by participants is not related to level in the organization. For example, grouping the categories “managers” and “senior technical,” there are 13 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 106 participants or 62 percent of that grouping that reported sending between 11 and 30 e-mail messages daily. Six participants of that grouping or 29 percent reported sending fewer than 10 e-mail messages daily, only one reported sending between 31 and 40 e-mail messages daily, and one did not report his perceived level of activity. Grouping the categories “technical” and “technical and administrative support,” there are 14 participants or 67 percent of that grouping that reported sending between 11 and 30 e-mail messages daily. Six participants of that grouping or 29 percent reported sending fewer than 10 e-mail messages daily, and only one reported sending between 31 and 40 e-mail messages daily Again, notwithstanding the lack of consistency between the data self-reported on the survey questionnaire and the audit record data collected, the data suggests the cause of the perceived e-mail message load might be e-mail messages received from others. E-mail messages from others in the organization also are not related to level in the organization. For example, grouping the categories “managers” and “senior technical,” there are 12 participants or 57 percent of that grouping that reported receiving between 11 and 30 e-mail messages daily. Four participants of that grouping or 19 percent reported receiving more than 40 e-mail messages daily, five participants or 24 percent reported receiving between 31 and 40 e-mail messages daily. Grouping the categories “technical” and “technical and administrative support,” there are 18 participants or 86 percent of that grouping that reported sending between 11 and 30 e-mail messages daily. Three participants of that grouping or 14 percent reported receiving between 31 and 40 e-mail messages daily. Looking at the daily requirement for using e-mail and the importance of sending and receiving e-mail messages with regard to work accomplishment, it was overwhelming regardless of organization level and occupation. The participants were unanimous by either selecting strongly agree or agree when asked about their attitude toward these two conditions. There was less unanimity, however, when asked about their attitude toward the necessity of the majority of the email messages they receive for their job responsibilities. Twenty-nine participants or 69 percent indicated either strongly disagree or disagree that the majority of e-mail messages they receive are necessary for their job responsibilities. This suggests that these participants experience some e-mail message load that might cause them to experience information overload. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 107 Conclusions Clearly, e-mail does play a role in information overload, but it is less clear how significant that role might be contributing toward the overload experience. E-mail is a powerful communication tool that many workers use daily in their work accomplishment. E-mail use is likely to increase and continue to transform how workers communicate both in the workplace and outside the workplace. This research study contributes toward the body of knowledge that exists regarding the role of e-mail in information overload. Overall, this research study suggests that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office use e-mail extensively for their daily work. In general, most agreed that the ease of sending e-mail messages does contribute to the excessive use of e-mail. Twenty-nine participants or 69 percent reported the ease of sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive e-mail. However, 10 participants or 23 percent either strongly disagreed or disagreed with this view. Consequently, it is not be surprising that there is a perception that information overload is a reality among many of the members of ISAT surveyed and interviewed, but it is not pervasive among all participants. The results of this research study suggest that the Department of Navy employees are required to use e-mail daily as a means of basic communication in the workplace. In general, participants of this research study from the ISAT Support Office indicated overwhelmingly that their work requires use of e-mail daily. All respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with this proposition. Furthermore, all respondents indicated either strongly agree or agree that sending and receiving e-mail messages is important to their work accomplishment. Another indicator of e-mail as a basic means of communication in the workplace is the number of e-mail messages reported by all respondents. Collectively, the respondents reported 46,818 e-mail messages in their in-boxes at the time they were reporting this information. In addition, the perceived e-mail load reported by respondents indicated daily use, although in general, the self reported e-mail load was not supported by and consistent with the audit records collected. The audit records, however, still indicate daily use of e-mail. Further supporting this proposition is the time spent daily managing their e-mail. Collectively, the respondents reported 1,655 minutes spent daily to manage e-mail. This is an average of 40 minutes per day respondents spend handling and managing their e-mail messages. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 108 The results of this research study also suggest that the Department of Navy employees use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. In addition to the previous indicators supporting the first proposition, supporting this proposition is 69 percent of the respondents either strongly disagree or disagree that the majority of e-mail messages they receive are not necessary for their jobs. Reinforcing this indicator is 91 percent of the respondents rejected the thought that communicating at work was easier before they began using e-mail for communicating. E-mail might be necessary, but it was also clear that respondents do not necessarily prefer obtaining information through e-mail when compared to personal contact. Of the respondents, 55 percent indicated strongly disagree or disagree when asked if they prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. This is in spite of the fact that 74 percent of the respondents indicated strongly agree or agree that they enjoy using e-mail. In addition, 47 percent either strongly disagree or disagree that e-mail interferes with communication that is more personal. However, 41 percent of the respondents did strongly agree or agree that e-mail does interfere with more personal communication, and 12 percent of the respondents were undecided. The results of this research study were less clear about whether or not Department of Navy employees experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. In general, participants of this research study from the ISAT Support Office were divided in their perceptions that they experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. When asked if they feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive through e-mail messages - the content - only 43 percent of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed. In contrast, 45 percent either strongly disagreed or disagreed, and 12 percent were undecided. When asked if they feel overwhelmed by the number of e-mail messages they receive - the volume - only 50 percent of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed. In contrast, 43 percent either strongly disagreed or disagreed, and seven percent were undecided. When asked about the stress they feel from information overload because of the number of e-mail messages they receive, only 26 percent of the respondents indicated either strongly agree or agree that they experience stress. Sixty percent of the respondents indicated either strongly disagree or disagree that they feel stress from the number of e-mail messages they receive, and 14 percent were undecided. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 109 The results of this research study also suggest that the Department of Navy employees use e-mail for more than basic communications in their workplace. One respondent indicated in an interview . .It is so easy to save information and get it later when I need it,” which indicates using e-mail for an information repository. One respondent said, “I use e-mail to keep information archived, information of significance.. Still another respondent indicated, “[I]... use it for information storage and retrieval...” A more expansive perspective might be the one some respondents indicated and best characterized by this response, “I use e-mail as a basic communication tool, but take advantage of the underlying capability that it has as a knowledge management component...” As for using e-mail as a file system, as an archive, and as a database the research data suggest this is the practice. Respondents reported keeping e-mail messages with content that ranges from task related information, to coordination of meetings, to practice procedures, to policy, and to training and development information. Collectively, the respondents reported 142,155 e-mail messages stored in all folders at the time they reported the information. This is an average of 3,385 e-mail messages per respondent. These e-mail messages are stored in 1,362 folders, which is an average of 32 folders per respondent. Considering both averages, they result in 106 e-mail messages per folder per respondent. In addition, the number of e-mail messages saved and deleted strongly indicates there is use of e-mail other than for basic communication. Fifty-six percent of the respondents save between 50 percent and 100 percent of all their e-mail messages. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents save between 25 percent and 50 percent, and only 16 percent of the respondents save less than 25 percent of their e-mail messages. Another perspective on retention of e-mail messages is the tendency to delete e-mail messages. Fifty-six percent of the respondents delete between 50 percent and 100 percent of all e-mail messages received. The balance of respondents divides evenly with 22 percent who delete between 25 percent and 50 percent of their e-mail messages, and 22 percent who delete less than 25 percent of their e-mail messages. The results of this research study also suggest that the Department of Navy employees develop e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use of e-mail. E-mail-box management tasks expressed by the respondents include filing, deleting, and sorting techniques to manage effectively their e-mail load. Respondents reported they view incoming e-mail messages in ways that allow them to take appropriate action on messages. Their action rests on Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 110 various attributes such as the sender, the subject or topic, or some combination of these or other attributes. For example, respondents apply various strategies for deleting messages. The strategies reported in the data range from deleting no e-mail messages, regardless of how irrelevant to their work, to deleting all e-mail messages, but only after they have served their purpose. In general, however, most respondents keep all work related e-mail messages - those e-mail messages that met their criteria, which most often rests on relevance to their work. Most respondents expressed they keep those e-mail messages that are highly relevant to their work or that are pertaining to policy or practice procedures. As for storing e-mail messages they keep, respondents described various strategies for organizing, which most often involved using other folders. Respondents reported schemes from keeping the e-mail messages in their in-box to organizing e-mail messages into other folders ordered by subject, sender, time/date, project, area of responsibility, organization, or some combination of these perspectives. Most respondents maintain other folders within their in-box for organizing their e-mail messages and most organize their messages by subject only. One respondent reported a complex scheme for organizing e-mail messages that required consideration of the topic, project to which it was related, the sender, organizational unit, and time/date. Recommendations fo r Future Research Future research might include exploring the role of e-mail on information overload in fields less technical than information systems and technology. In addition, a longitudinal research opportunity might reveal perspectives on information overload not captured and detected with non-longitudinal studies. In addition, exploring the role of the e-mail software application in the experience of information overload might also be revealing given that some e-mail software packages offer more robust features and functions for managing and organizing e-mail messages. The ease of use might make a difference in reducing the experience of information overload if it exists. Furthermore, there might already be sufficient capability inherent in a given e-mail software package but the level of skill and proficiency of the user might be deficient, limiting or minimizing the effectiveness of the user in managing e-mail load. Research in the area of competency and proficiency with existing e-mail software packages might contribute greatly to the knowledge base in understanding the role of both individual skill and ability, and features and functions inherent in the e-mail software application. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Another opportunity for future research is to study the nature of the information communicated using e-mail. The content, the form of the content, the time and value of the information, are a few considerations. Understanding information overload in the context of the content might help both senders and receivers of e-mail communicate and use e-mail more effectively and efficiently. Future research might examine the impact and contribution toward worker productivity. Does e-mail have an impact on worker productivity? Finally, future research might explore continuous virtual presence where the workplace is where one is at the time they receive work related communication. Leading edge technology in the form of wireless communication and the continued convergence of devices or appliances such as cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants, and many other devices, is quickly blurring the boundaries between work and leisure time. These technologies are fueling the notion of knowledge workers and are accommodating knowledge workers being online form anywhere and everywhere, anytime. This is most likely going to intensify, if not also increase the experience of information overload. The idea of e-mail messages 24-hours a day, seven days a week, for 52 weeks is not only scary but also possibly unhealthy, and ultimately damaging to the mission and purpose of an organization. People cannot work harder and smarter in this manner indefinitely. At some point, there are most likely diminishing returns for individuals as well as organizations. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 112 References Aldrich, H. & Herker, D. (1977). Boundary spanning roles and organizational structure. Academy o f Management Review 2, pp. 217-230. Argyris, C. (1971). Management and organizational development: The path from XA to YB. New York: McGraw-Hill. Ashby, W. R. (1956). 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Wiener, N. (1950). The human use o f human beings: Cybernetics and society. New York: Avon Books. Wiener, N. (1961). Cybernetics, or social control and communication in the animal and the machine (2n d ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Wildavsky, Aaron (1983). Information as an organizational problem. Journal o f Management Studies 20, No 1(1983): pp. 29-40 Wurman, R. S. (1991). Information Anxiety. London: Pan Books. Yin, R. K., (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2n d Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 124 A ppendix A: Initial invitation to participate in the research study Date: July 02, 2002 To: <mailing list with all names> cc: Subject: Soliciting for Research Participants Hello! Please read this form e-mail and respond only if you are interested in participating. If you are interested, please respond by Friday 12 July 2002. I would like to begin my research study no later than 15 July 2002. Thanks! Sincerely, Richard I am a doctoral candidate at the University o f Southern California. I am conducting research in support o f my dissertation, which is a requirement for my graduate degree; Doctor in Public Administration. The title o f my research study is Information Overload: Exploring Management o f Electronic Mail. The principal investigator (PI) in this research study is Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt, PhD, and professor o f Public Policy and Management. I am the second PI or student investigator. I am asking each o f you to participate in my research study. You are under no obligation to participate. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a member o f the organizational unit chosen and approved for this study; an information technology (IT) business unit in the Department o f Navy (DON). At least 30 participants are required to conduct my investigation. If you decide to participate, your participation is strictly voluntary. The purpose o f my research study is to explore the phenomenon o f information overload in an IT organization within DON. Specifically, I want to leam more about information overload as manifested through electronic mail (e-mail). I want to answer such questions as does e-mail play a part in information overload? If e-mail plays a part in information overload, how do individuals manage their e-mail to deal with information overload? If e-mail creates information overload, how does it affect decision-making about processing e-mail messages? The procedures for conducting my research are simple. I developed a four-part approach to my research study for collecting data. My research methodology includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. I can conduct parts I and II in any order. I can conduct parts III and IV at the completion o f Parts I and II, and I can do them in order. Part I o f my approach calls for conducting interviews with five to 10 participants (a sub set o f the 30 or more participants), with the interviews being individual or collective, or some combination thereof. The purpose o f this Part is to allow me to get an understanding o f the perspective participants have on the subject matter o f the research study. In other words, find out what some o f the participants think about information overload within e-mail, and how participants deal with information overload if it exists. Part II o f my approach calls for me to observe five to 10 participants during a "typical" session o f managing their e-mail; typical is relevant to the respective participant. During the observation period o f about 10 minutes, each participant will describe aloud the cognitive process he or she is using to manage his or her e-mail. I will record these expressed thoughts in writing. The purpose o f this part is to allow me to see and hear how each participant processes e-mail. For example, I might observe a participant marking an e-mail for deletion and hear them express aloud their thoughts as to why they are planning to delete the e-mail. I might hear: "This e-mail is from Hue Mongus and considering the subject: 'Big Deal.1 I'm not interested. So, I'll delete it." This Part gives me insight into how participants manage e-mail. Part III o f my approach calls for a survey. I will develop the survey instrument as a result o f parts I and II, and relevant theories on information management, communications, cognitive processing, and decision-making. Part IV o f my approach is to collect and code e-mail audit records for each participant. I will collect and code e-mail activity for each participant. The coding scheme is not completed, however, is being designed to characterize the e-mail activity in terms o f the type o f e-mail (send, receive, forward, reply), action taken by the participant (save, delete, forward, reply), and general e-mail activity such as the number o f e-mails received, sent, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 125 forwarded, replied to, and number saved (kept on file). The purpose o f this part is it serves as an object means to validate and verify some o f the data collected from the survey instrument. I plan to begin my research study no later than 15 July 2002 and complete the data collection phase no later than 31 August 2002. This means, on or before 31 August 2 0 0 2 ,1 will have completed parts I, II, and III, and for Part IV, obtained the audit records for each participant. The potential benefit o f this research study is greater insight and knowledge about the general phenomenon of information overload. In addition, more specifically, an improved understanding o f the phenomenon o f information overload as manifested through e-mail in an IT organization within DON. E-mail is one o f the most used computer applications ever developed. E-mail applications were initially designed for asynchronous communication; however, e-mail has evolved to being used for purposes never intended, like document delivery, archiving, work and task delegation, and information tracking and retrieval. Information overload in e-mail could render an organization dysfunctional, therefore, knowing, understanding this phenomenon can lead to better organization, management, and use o f information communicated in an e-mail system. Richard W. Etter Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 126 Appendix B: Follow-up invitation to participate in the research study Date: July 12, 2002 To: <name> cc: Subject: Final Solicitation for Research Study Participants <name>, I am sending a second and final solicitation for research study participation just in case you missed the first e-mail, and because I do not have at least 30 participants. I have enough volunteers to begin Parts I and II, but not enough to continue with Parts III and IV. I plan to begin Parts I and II next week. Please do not misunderstand and think that I am forcing participation by you or anyone else. I want to make sure you have this opportunity before I solicit for participants outside o f the sample population. If you would like to participate voluntarily please reply, else I thank you for your time. Sincerely, Richard Hello! Please read this form e-mail and respond only if you are interested in participating. If you are interested, please respond by Friday 12 July 2002. I would like to begin my research study no later than 15 July 2002. Thanks! Sincerely, Richard I am a doctoral candidate at the University o f Southern California. I am conducting research in support o f my dissertation, which is a requirement for my graduate degree; Doctor in Public Administration. The title o f my research study is Information Overload: Exploring Management o f Electronic Mail. The principal investigator (PI) in this research study is Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt, PhD, and professor o f Public Policy and Management. I am the second PI or student investigator. I am asking each o f you to participate in my research study. You are under no obligation to participate. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a member of the organizational unit chosen and approved for this study; an information technology (IT) business unit in the Department o f Navy (DON). At least 30 participants are required to conduct my investigation. If you decide to participate, your participation is strictly voluntary. The purpose o f my research study is to explore the phenomenon o f information overload in an IT organization within DON. Specifically, I want to leam more about information overload as manifested through electronic mail (e-mail). I want to answer such questions as does e-mail play a part in information overload? If e-mail plays a part in information overload, how do individuals manage their e-mail to deal with information overload? If e-mail creates information overload, how does it affect decision-making about processing e-mail messages? The procedures for conducting my research are simple. I developed a four-part approach to my research study for collecting data. My research methodology includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. I can conduct parts I and II in any order. I can conduct parts III and IV at the completion o f Parts I and II, and I can do them in order. Part I o f my approach calls for conducting interviews with five to 10 participants (a sub set o f the 30 or more participants), with the interviews being individual or collective, or some combination thereof. The purpose o f this Part is to allow me to get an understanding o f the perspective participants have on the subject matter o f the research study. In other words, find out what some o f the participants think about information overload within e-mail, and how participants deal with information overload if it exists. Part II o f my approach calls for me to observe five to 10 participants during a "typical" session o f managing their e-mail; typical is relevant to the respective participant. During the observation period o f about 10 minutes, each Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 127 participant will describe aloud the cognitive process he or she is using to manage his or her e-mail. I will record these expressed thoughts in writing. The purpose o f this part is to allow me to see and hear how each participant processes e-mail. For example, I might observe a participant marking an e-mail for deletion and hear them express aloud their thoughts as to why they are planning to delete the e-mail. I might hear: "This e-mail is from Hue Mongus and considering the subject: 'Big Deal.' I'm not interested. So, I'll delete it." This Part gives me insight into how participants manage e-mail. Part III o f my approach calls for a survey. I will develop the survey instrument as a result o f parts I and II, and relevant theories on information management, communications, cognitive processing, and decision-making. Part IV o f my approach is to collect and code e-mail audit records for each participant. I will collect and code e-mail activity for each participant. The coding scheme is not completed, however, is being designed to characterize the e-mail activity in terms o f the type o f e-mail (send, receive, forward, reply), action taken by the participant (save, delete, forward, reply), and general e-mail activity such as the number o f e-mails received, sent, forwarded, replied to, and number saved (kept on file). The purpose o f this part is it serves as an object means to validate and verify some o f the data collected from the survey instrument. I plan to begin my research study no later than 15 July 2002 and complete the data collection phase no later than 31 August 2002. This means, on or before 31 August 2 002,1 will have completed parts I, II, and III, and for Part IV, obtained the audit records for each participant. The potential benefit o f this research study is greater insight and knowledge about the general phenomenon o f information overload. In addition, more specifically, an improved understanding o f the phenomenon o f information overload as manifested through e-mail in an IT organization within DON. E-mail is one o f the most used computer applications ever developed. E-mail applications were initially designed for asynchronous communication; however, e-mail has evolved to being used for purposes never intended, like document delivery, archiving, work and task delegation, and information tracking and retrieval. Information overload in e-mail could render an organization dysfunctional, therefore, knowing, understanding this phenomenon can lead to better organization, management, and use o f information communicated in an e-mail system. Richard W. Etter Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 128 Appendix C: Invitation to participate in the survey questionnaire pre-test Date: October 23, 2002 From: Jim Manzo [Director, Cost Analysis and Estimating] To: CAED Directorate cc: (bcc: Richard Etter) Subject: Test Survey Instrument Richard Etter has asked us to help him by taking a short survey. The survey is part o f his DP A program and will be given to individuals in the ISAT Support Office. Richard has asked us, because o f the analytical abilities we possess, to take the survey as a precursor to him sending it to a wider audience, and to provide him with comments on the survey. I took the survey this morning and it only takes about five minutes to fill out, so please take the time to help Richard, fill out the survey and provide him with your candid comments. Richard’s comments below explain more about what he is trying to accomplish. Thanks to all who participate. Jim From Richard: I am a doctoral candidate at the University o f Southern California. I am conducting research in support o f my dissertation, which is a requirement for my graduate degree; Doctor in Public Administration. The title o f my research study is Information Overload: Exploring Management o f Electronic Mail. The principal investigator (PI) in this research study is Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt, PhD, and professor o f Public Policy and Management. I am the second PI or student investigator. I am asking each o f you to participate in my research study. You are under no obligation to participate. If you decide to participate your participation is strictly voluntary. Your role in my research study is to test my survey instrument by completing it and then providing me with comments or recommendations on how to clarify or improve the instrument. This instrument has been used in other like research and is not my original work, so my latitude for making changes is limited, but allowed in order to improve clarity o f the questions or information solicited. If you decide to volunteer, please click on the hotlink below to complete the survey. At the end o f the survey you can send your comments and suggestions to me via e-mail by clicking on my name, which is a hotlink to the e-mail application. I greatly appreciate your participation and cooperation. The purpose o f my research study is to explore the phenomenon o f information overload in an IT organization within DON. Specifically, I want to leam more about information overload as manifested through electronic mail (e-mail). I want to answer such questions as does e-mail play a part in information overload? If e-mail plays a part in information overload, how do individuals manage or handle their e-mail to deal with information overload? If e-mail creates information overload, how does it affect decision-making about managing or handling e-mail messages? If you choose to volunteer, please complete the survey and provide comments or suggestions no later than Thursday 31 October 2002. To get to the survey please click here If you have technical problems completing the survey or sending me e-mail from the web form following the survey, please notify me either by telephone or by going into e-mail through your "normal" process. Your participation is meaningful and helpful to me! Again, thanks! Sincerely, Richard (703) 602-9045, x320 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 129 Appendix D: Thank you message to participants in the survey questionnaire pre-test Date: November 5, 2002 To: CAED Directorate cc: Subject: Thank you! I greatly appreciate your time and effort helping me with my research study by testing the survey instrument I developed. Your comments about the instrument helped me make some changes that I believe improve it. I will be distributing the survey questionnaire to the members o f ISAT who volunteered to participate later this evening. Again, thanks! Sincerely, Richard Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 130 A ppendix E: The survey questionnaire; EZSurvey form. Information Overload: Management o f Electronic Mail Introduction I thank you for volunteering and taking your valuable time to participate in this research study. I appreciate your responses to this survey questionnaire and need them in order to make this effort a success. This survey questionnaire should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete, which includes time for your thoughtful comments and explanations. If you have technical problems while taking the survey please notify me and I will resolve them as quickly as possible so that you can complete the survey questionnaire. I organized the survey questionnaire into sections to help focus the research topic and to assist me during my analysis and reporting. I designed the survey questionnaire so that participants must complete it in a single session, however, you can complete the survey by section in any order. Once you complete the survey, please submit the results by clicking on the submit button at the bottom o f the survey questionnaire. Again, I greatly appreciate your participation and thank you! Sincerely, Richard Section A 1. My daily work requires me to use e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 2. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 3. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 4 . 1 do not enjoy using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 5 .1 regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 6. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 7 .1 feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 8. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 9. Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 10. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 11.1 enjoy using e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 1 2 .1 feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 13 .1 prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 131 [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 14. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree 15.1 feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. [ ] Strongly Agree [ ] Agree [ ] Undecided [ ] Disagree [ ] Strongly Disagree Section B 16. My occupation is: [ ] 334 / 391 / 2210 [ ] 301 / 341 / 343 17. My level in the organization is best described as: [ ] Manager [ ] Senior Technical [ ] Technical [ ] Technical and Administrative Support 18.1 have been using computers for: [ ] Less than 5 years [ ] 5 to 10 years [ ] 11 to 15 years [ ] 16 to 20 years [ ] More than 20 years 1 9 .1 have been using e-mail for: [ ] Less than 5 years [ ] 5 to 10 years [ ] 11 to 15 years [ ] 16 to 20 years [ ] More than 20 years 20. Gender: [ ] Female [ ] Male 21. Highest level o f education: [ ] High School or Less [ ] Some College [ ] Bachelors Degree (e.g., B.A. or B.S.) [ ] Masters Degree (e.g., M.A., M.S., or MBA) [ ] Post Graduate Degree (e.g., Ph.D. or Doctorate) Section C 22. The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: [ ] Fewer than 10 [ ] 11 to 20 [ ] 21 to 30 [ ] 31 to 40 [ ] More than 40 23. The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: [ ] Fewer than 10 [ ] 11 to 20 [ ] 21 to 30 [ ] 31 to 40 [ ] More than 40 24. What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? [ ] 25. What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? [ ] 26. Which e-mail messages do you keep? [ ] 27. Which e-mail messages do you delete? [ ] 28. How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) [ ] 29. How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? [ ] 30. How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? [ ] Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 132 31. How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? [ ] 32. How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) [ 1 33. How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? [ ] Daily [ ] Weekly [ ] Monthly [ ] Quarterly [ ] Annually 34. On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? [ ] Section D 35. Do you experience information overload? [ ] Yes [ ] No 36. If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? [ ] Yes [ ] No 37. Please explain your previous answer. [ ] 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? [ ] Yes [ ] No 39. Please explain your previous answer. [ ] [ SUBMIT ] [ RESET ] Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 133 Appendix F: Distribution notice to participate in the survey questionnaire Date: November 5, 2002 To: < name > cc: Subject: Research Study - Survey Questionnaire < name >, Thanks for participating in my research study. This is the last part o f my data collection effort. I completed parts I, II, and IV o f my data collection. Now it is time for Part III, the survey questionnaire. Please complete and submit the survey questionnaire available through the link provided below. I need you to complete and submit the questionnaire by close o f business Wednesday 20 November 2002. I tested this survey questionnaire with CAED and on average it will take you only 15 to 20 minutes to complete. If you have technical problems completing the survey, please notify Ginny Cox or me. Ginny is providing me technical assistance with EZSurvey and administration o f this effort. Your participation is meaningful and helpful to me! Again, thanks! Last minute reminders: Please keep your comments/remarks unclassified. Please limit your perspective and responses on e-mail to Lotus Notes e-mail on the command network. Please enter your last name to begin the survey. To get to the survey please click here: address Sincerely, Richard (703) 602-9045, x320 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Appendix G: Thank you message to participants in the survey questionnaire 134 Date: To: November 15, 2002 < name > cc: Subject: thank you for participating in my research study! < name >, Your participation in my research study was critical to my effort. I greatly appreciate your time and attention, and willingness to help. I completed my data collection and will begin the analysis this weekend. I expect to complete the analysis and findings chapter by early December. I will then move on to the final chapter, which is the discussion and conclusion chapter. If all goes as planned, I will complete my manuscript in January and schedule my defense shortly thereafter. Again, thank you! Sincerely, Richard Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Appendix H: Participant Cross-Reference Coding 135 Participant Number Data Collection: Participant Involvement Participant Name Part I Part II Part III Part IV 1 X X - 2 X X - 3 X X - 4 X X X X - 5 X X - 6 X X X - 7 X X - 8 X X X - 9 X X X X - 10 X X X X - 1 1 X X - 12 X X - 13 X X - 14 X X - 15 X X X X - 16 X X X - 17 X X - 18 X X - 19 X X - 20 X X X X - 21 X X - 22 X X - 23 X X - 24 X X X X - 25 X X - 26 X X - 27 X X - 28 X X - 29 X X - 30 X X - 31 X X - 32 X X - 33 X X - 34 X X X X - 35 X X X X - 36 X X X - 37 X X - 38 X X X X - 39 X X - 40 X X - 41 X X - 42 X X - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 136 Appendix I: Interview and Observation Results; Parts I and II data collection Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 4 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 25 July 2002 at 0645 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? Yes, it exists. There are so many sources o f information today that it is hard to know which to pay attention to. Everyone wants to get your attention and they give you information they want you to have. They push information onto you. There is so much repetitive information, the same stuff coming at you from many different sources making it difficult to comprehend all o f it. I think it is driven by all the advances in technology. Technology makes it so much easier for those who want to send information to do it easily and inexpensively, and much o f it is junk. 2. How do you define information overload? I see there are two parts to information overload. First, there is more information than a person can process, and second, the continuous and repetitive nature o f information coming at you so fast that it is frustrating because you can’t deal with it all. You have to wade through it to see what is o f any value. You have to go through so much useless information before you get to what is meaningful. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? I try to plan ahead by knowing what I want when I need information. What I mean is I try to know and leam how to get the information I need, and how to get to it quickly. I try to filter out what is useless by trying to understand what it is that I’m looking at or hearing if someone called to sell me something, and quickly determine whether I’m interested, or not. I try to ignore sources that are no good, that I’ve learned from in the past, that don’t provide good information. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes, most definitely. I have a personal e-mail account and get quite a lot o f junk e-mail. I get e-mail from places I have no idea about how they got my e-mail address. It is so easy for others to get your e-mail address and then use it to shotgun junk to you. It takes so much o f my time to clean up my personal e-mail in-box because if I don’t, then it gets cluttered up and I can’t get the e-mail I really want to get at. Also, I’m concerned about all the storage space it takes to get all this junk e-mail. For my work e-mail, it is easier to keep up with because I don’t get all the junk e-mail. I get some e-mail that doesn’t pertain to me, but I can figure that out quickly and delete it from my in-box. Even at work it is so easy to send someone e-mail, just to keep them in the loop. I try not to do that unless someone asks me to do it. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? Well, for work I try to check my e-mail first thing when I come in to the office. I try to act quickly on those e-mails that are something that I have to do or have action on. I spend about one half-hour each morning, first thing, to make sure I know what’s in my e-mail. I try to keep only the e-mail I need to keep and trash the rest right away to keep down the clutter. I try to categorize my e-mail. I receipt everything, so I have a lot to clean up every morning. Also, I have my e-mail set up to notify me when e-mail comes in. I know when e-mail arrives, but it depends on what I’m doing or expecting whether, or not, I’ll look at it right away. I don’t want e-mail to build up in my in-box. My job is here at my desk so I can do this, but some people can’t because their job is not based at a desk, so they can’t look at their e-mail as it comes in. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? My technique is very simple, first, I look at the sender, and then I look at the subject line. I look at the subject line and try to determine whether the message is for action or just for information purposes. I look at the sender because the e-mail from some senders is more likely to have content I need than does e-mail from other senders. Also, I have other file folders in my e-mail system so I can file my messages. I file messages by project because that is how I track my work, by project. I can look up information easily this way. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 137 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? On the computer, it is the best way for me to save and retrieve information. It is an archival and retrieval system for me. It is so easy to save information and get it later when you need it. There is a comfort factor in knowing I can retrieve information when I need it. I like having the information, just in case I need it. Also, I can easily track changes in information, such as policies. I can keep old versions. Also, I find it easy to keep track o f issues, the history on those issues. E-mail is much more than simple communication, but I use it for that too. E-mail makes it easy for me to do my job, but I have to keep up with it or it will overwhelm me at times. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 30 July 2002 at 0700 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 15 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was maximized ■ did not have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the entire list o f unread messages in the in-box ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant Cognitive process expressed aloud: I’m looking at all the messages that came in since I shut down e-mail last night before going home. I have several messages from the help desk and looking at the subject line, they’re system messages, so I’m marking them to delete. I have many receipts from messages I sent to people, so I know they received the messages and I assume they read them. I’m marking the receipts to delete also. This e-mail is important, but I won’t read it right now, and to remind me to go back to it I’m marking it as unread so it will turn back to red on the screen. This e-mail is from Gary and is about a PR, so I will read it now and take action immediately. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 138 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 9 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 22 July 2002 at 1515 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? The notion o f information overload itself conveys a sense o f people not being able to manage the daily inputs o f information efficiently. You’re getting more information than you can process if you can’t weed out the insignificant stuff from that which you need. Yes, information overload exists, but maybe only 5 percent o f what you get are useful. The other 95 percent are meaningless. If you can handle the amount o f information you take in, then maybe information overload doesn’t exist for those with that situation. I suppose that not everyone suffers from information overload. Let me use my personal e-mail as an example. I control information overload by simply looking at the sender, nothing else. If I don’t recognize the sender, then it’s deleted immediately. If I do recognize the sender, but not interested given the subject line, then I delete it. I don’t care what they have to say if they can’t say it in the subject line. I guess the short answer to your question is, I think o f inefficiency when I hear the phrase information overload. If people are inefficient, then they will suffer from information overload. 2. How do you define information overload? Information overload is the state o f being where one can’t process all the inputs because o f inefficiencies. One has to predetermine what they need. They need to define the range o f consideration when it comes to the information they need. In other words, they are inefficient because they’re trying to take in too much information. They haven’t taken the time to limit what they need by thinking through what their information needs are in the first place. They suffer from information overload because they haven’t determined what is relevant to their needs and have not considered the volume they can handle. Relevance and volume are the key factors. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? Self-discipline is a key for me. I’m self-disciplined and know what is relevant to me and I know the volume o f information I can efficiently handle. I ignore those sources o f information that have proven useless and use those that have proven to be credible. Also, I don’t look forever when I need information. I find what I need as quickly as I can. I know when I find it because I determine, before I look, what I need. Sometimes I don’t know what I need, but I know enough to get started so I begin there, or I seek advice from an expert. I make it as easy as I can for myself. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes, because it is so easy to send e-mail. People think everyone else wants to know or needs to know what they’re doing, so they include everyone when they’re addressing the message. The sender leaves it to the receiver to determine the value o f the message. I think that’s wrong and the big reason why there is information overload in e-mail. I don’t care about most o f the stuff people send me. I get rid o f those messages that are o f no use to me and only worry about what is o f use to me. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 139 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? I already talked about how I deal with my personal e-mail at home. Here at work I do it differently because my job and work are different than my personal stuff at home. Here at work, my e-mail is a main source o f information, so 1 treat it more seriously. However, I do still try to get rid o f what is not important as soon as possible. Once 1 determine 1 don’t need it, 1 get rid o f it. 1 look at the subject line first. 1 want to determine if the subject line tells me enough to determine if 1 need it or not. Sometimes I delete based on this and find out 1 needed to know something in the message. But, that’s O.K. because I know enough people who keep everything, 1 just ask one o f them to send the e-mail from so-and-so, about such-and-such, and I usually get it. It doesn’t happen often though, so this works for me. If an e-mail looks like it is relevant to me I open it and do a quick read or, I scan it to see if it is a task, status on something, or asking me for information. If I have to respond I do it as soon as I can, right then hopefully. If I can’t do it right away, I usually print it out and keep it on my desk as a reminder until I complete the action required. I keep files in my in-box where I save e-mails for recall, but not many compared to most people know. I keep e-mails by topic or project because that’s how my job and work are; they’re oriented by project, not by who I work with. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? For work, I look at the subject, then the sender depending upon what I’m in the midst o f as far as work. If I’m working with someone on a project and I’m expecting something from them, then I may be looking for their name in the sender column. Otherwise, the sender is not as important as the subject line. I use the preview pane sometimes. It is always open, but I don’t always look at the message to decide what to do. Attachments are something that usually causes me to open the message to look at the text o f the message. Hopefully the sender tells me enough about the attachment to whether I want to look at the attachment, or not, right then. I don’t get many attachments except from certain people. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? It is my primary means o f communication with people in other buildings or who are away from their desk a lot. This is sad to say because I think you lose a lot when you don’t see the other person’s face, or like with the telephone you can at least hear the other persons tone and inflexion. You lose something in the communication, but it’s necessary these days when you work with so many people not within your own work space, or not within your own time zone for that matter. Another problem with e-mail for communication is, so many people equate sending the e-mail with having communicated. This is wrong, just because you sent an e-mail, doesn’t mean you’ve communicated. You don’t know if the receiver even read the message, or if so, whether they understood your message. These are critical parts of communication, knowing the message was read and understood. E-mail doesn’t give you that immediate interaction that many times allows you to make a determination o f message received and understood. I also use my e-mail at work as a repository for information. I keep in my in-box one month o f e-mails. Then, once a month I file what I want to keep and get rid o f everything else. I rarely look at my filed e-mails, but you leam early in your career, you have to “CYA” otherwise you’ll regret it if you don’t. But that’s why it’s good to delete as many as possible, so you don’t save what’s not relevant, even for “CYA.” But “CYA” prevails if in doubt. As for the hard copies I print as reminders, they never get saved. I trash them as soon as they’ve served their purpose and I no longer need them. Overall, e-mail is convenient as a tool to do so much with the information I send and receive, so it’s many things to me, but mainly a communications environment. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 140 Part II: Observation Date / Time: 29 July 2002 at 0950 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 35 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was not maximized ■ did have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in chronological order; the order in which they were received ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Cognitive process expressed aloud: I was not here Friday so I see more e-mail messages than I would normally see first thing in the morning. I’m going to begin reviewing my e-mail in the order they arrived. So, I’ll scroll down to the first unread message and work my way up. I’m scanning the subject lines first. From a broad glance, I have several messages I know I can delete right away so I’m going to mark all o f them for deletion right now and not bother with them anymore. Now, I’m going back to those left and scanning them in the preview window. This one has minutes to a meeting I need to read, so I’ll come back to it later. This is from my boss and it looks long so I’ll read it later after I print it out and have time to concentrate on what he said. He’s on leave for two weeks so I know there are things for me to do in this e-mail. Not sure what this is or why I got it, so I’ll delete it. These next few look like stuff I don’t need to worry about so I’ll delete them. These two have to do with the new budget process so they’re important to me, but they’re long so I’ll come back to them later this morning. These next two look like they have actions for me, so I’ll come back to them once I finish scanning. And these last messages I can delete because they are about old business completed last week. This can be filed for recall. This also can be filed because it served its purpose but I may need it in the future. Now I’m reviewing the rest o f my in-box, all those messages are from earlier in the month. No unread messages so now I’m ready to go back and begin reading the messages I said I needed to come back to. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 141 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 10 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 18 September 2002 at 0700 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? Yes, it exists. Given all the events that are taking place, it is evident daily from the many stressing activities. With regard to e-mail it drives my daily taskings because it is how I interact with others on taskings and how they interact with me on taskings. E-mail and information overload are cyclical because some days are so overwhelming, while other days are not. That is why I use e-mail for so much. I use it for managing, storing, retrieving, and organizing myself, plus it is how I intake my actions. 2. How do you define information overload? It is more than you can process and take action on within the time allowed. It is information hardship. It is not being able to merge information and knowledge in a way to store and retrieve, and use it productively. It is when you kind-a lose it. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? I will answer in two categories as to how I manage. The first is, I do a quick scan o f publications, and I focus on that which is relevant. I determine what is relevant by knowing what I’m doing, or knowing what I might do. Second, I key myself by looking at subject titles and authors, then extract those articles from the publications for further review at a later time. I used to have a database where I tracked these articles, so that I could reference them later. The database also kept track o f where I could find the article if it was on the web. I don’t keep this database now, but I need to start doing it again. As for e-mail, I start with the in-box and apply my two categories - first, I see who sent the e-mail and look at the subject, second, look at the day and time sent, because I work from most recent received to the oldest un-read message. I have two agents that I created and set up to notify me I have actions pending, they are reminders, and help me with tracking tasks, both mine and others’. For those e-mails I can respond to, I do. I don’t let my in-box build-up. There are some longer-term actions in my in-box but not many. I try to be consistent with my management model. In summary, I determine how pertinent the information is, determine whether I’m an actor in this matter, and if so, determine how so. This happens very fast in your brain. Once I do this processing, I move on. I do the quick filtering, and determine whether to store it, if so, both physically and logically, then store it for retrieval later. Sometimes they stay in the in-box as a reminder when action will be taken soon. I also use other features o f Notes, for example the action list, this helps me track tasks, and I have an extensive file folder systems. Everything has to fit somewhere, and I save almost all the e-mail I get, if it is relevant to my work. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes, I kind-a answered this question in my previous answers, so I’ll just reference what I said in those answers. I do answer e-mail in the morning because I like to start fresh, and it partly determines how my day will go. I have two practices, first I do a periodic check - regularly, especially when I’ve stepped away from my desk for any reason, no matter how long I was gone. The second practice I have is, I have my e-mail system set to notify me when a new message arrives, which can be disruptive. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? I will reference my previous answers. As I mentioned, I do have an elaborate and extensive file folder system for saving e-mail messages. I have folders organized by major project, by important subjects, and some by organizational business unit. I find it difficult to cross-file messages that I want to store in more than one file, so I have to depend on my discipline and be consistent. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 142 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? Again, I will reference my previous answers. I have a model I use, that model is filter, store, retrieve, and use. This all must tie into the need. If you don’t know and understand your need it won’t work. I didn’t mention how I deal with e-mail with attachments. I look at the sender and then the subject, if that doesn’t get my attention, but there’s an attachment, I’ll usually look at the message to see if it is worth looking at the attachment. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? I use e-mail as a basic communication tool, but take advantage o f the underlying capability that is has as a knowledge management component. It is because o f the information contained in the messages that I use the e-mail system the way I do. The content o f the messages is what is important to me because I use it for coordination and planning, and tasking management and tracking, carrying out my tasks. E-mail is an excellent publication tool as well. I can target large groups o f people and by using the e-mail as a headline, I can embed hyperlinks to many other sources o f information and knowledge. This helps me maintain information in one place, but disseminate it to many at different times, and know that they’re all getting the latest I have to offer. Also, e-mail is a good archive environment because I can keep documents for the record and be able to easily retrieve them when I need them. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 18 September 2002 at 0750 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 10 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had few read e-mail messages, not enough to fill the in-box window, which was maximized ■ did not have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Cognitive process expressed aloud: I don’t have many e-mail messages this morning so I’ll begin my quick scan. I’m looking at the sender and subject, this is pretty much simultaneous so it is difficult to separate the two events, It’s all so close together on the screen that it is like reading them together. This message is from Lessli and it’s about the move to the warehouse. I’m going to my task database to make an entry to m yself as a reminder to set up a meeting on this topic. I will leave it in my in-box for now and come back to it later today. I’m trashing this message, it was sent to me by one o f my agents. It was a reminder that you would be here this morning. I’ll go to this message now, it is from Jon. This message pertains to training and it sounds like another meeting. I’ll be out at the time o f this meeting so I’ll create another reminder on my “to-do” list to see if we can do it before I go. Again, I’ll leave this in my in-box for now. Here’s a message from Brad regarding AMAS so I’ll read it now since this is an important matter. It appears I need to help him get his account set-up on the ITS web site. I’m now composing a message to get this done. I’m tasking Bryan to set up the portal for Brad’s access. I’m now spell checking the message, I spell check about 99 % o f everything, and then send it out. I’ll “cc” JoAnn on 99% o f everything because as you know w e’re not deep with resources and the “cc” helps back me up when I’m not here. I also “cc’d” the person who originated this e-mail thread so he knows that I’ve tasked the right people to take the right action. I will store this message in the appropriate folder by moving it from the in-box into the AMAS project folder. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 143 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 15 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 24 July 2002 at 0810 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? I think o f unsolicited information that is meaningless, useless, and takes too much o f my time to deal with it. There is such a thing as information overload, but you have to realize there are several modes through which it comes at you. There are advertisements, commercials, billboards, tele-marketers, and all sorts o f ways that people and organizations try to get information to you. For example with e-mail, there is so much e-mail that businesses need more and more storage to manage the e-mail volume, and businesses try to manage the people by limiting the disk storage they can have for e-mail. It’s a vicious cycle. Another problem is not knowing what people have for you in the way o f useful information. Take the talk shows, they talk about nothing o f any value or use, but people still listen. Also, technology does nothing except help bury people with information. Technology is enabling more delivery mediums, so there is more information and greater information overload than ever before. If you want information, you’ll get it, but it’s difficult to avoid useless information. One must decide what is useful and valuable. 2. How do you define information overload? This is easy. There are several parts to this definition. Information overload is receiving more information than a) you need, b) you’re interested in, c) you have the ability to process, you’re ability is exceeded, and d) you can get value out of, too much meaningless information mixed in with that which may have value. You need to learn how to prioritize what you need. You can’t know it all and it takes time, but you have to prioritize and begin learning what it is you need for information. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? It depends upon the subject. For instance, tele-marketers, I don’t answer the phone when they call. I have caller-ID and if I don’t recognize the caller by the ID, then I don’t answer. It’s great. Take the newspaper, I get rid o f the sections I don’t read. I throw them away before I sit down to read the paper. Just get rid o f it because it clutters up what I want to read if I keep it around. When I begin to read those sections I hang on to read, I scan the headlines first. If the head lines get my attention I’ll begin to read the article, but if the first few sentences or paragraphs don’t keep my attention, I move on to something else. I don’t waste my time on stuff I’m not interested in. In general, I just want to know what’s going on in the world around me. Since I’m working for the Department o f Navy, I’m interested in world affairs, but also want to know what is happening in my community. I’m not so interested in what is happening around the state though. I don’t have time for stuff with little impact on my life and job. When it comes to e-mail, I look at the subject line. This is for my home e-mail account. If its from a solicitor, then it’s trashed immediately. I am self aware o f my information needs and the sources that best serve me, so I manage information overload quite well. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes. There are varying degrees o f information overload in e-mail. There is the home versus work consideration. For example, at home about 95 percent o f my e-mail are junk. I decide by looking at the subject line. If I’m not interested then I trash it. Too much e-mail causes people to cut comers. Especially at work, people cut comers by not reading all their e-mail, and by not reading their e-mail, they may not understand what was communicated to them. By not understanding, they may not do their job well or at all because they missed something. Another point is, depending upon how people sift through their e-mail to filter out the junk; they may end up deleting something o f value. This too is how cutting comers can hurt getting the job done. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? I try to look at e-mail first thing when I arrive at work and then as it comes in during the day. I don’t want it to build up on me. I have my e-mail set up to notify me that it arrives. E-mail is the primary means o f communications for ongoing activities and projects, so it’s important to me to keep up with it. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 144 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? I have a very structured process for looking at my e-mail at work. Prioritization is paramount. First, I look at the sender. I look at my e-mail in the order that it most recently arrived. In other words, I look at last in, first. I do look at the subject line next. I try to take action immediately. If I think I may need it later, then I keep it in the in-box. I use the in-box as a tickler. Other files are set up by either project or subject matter; I don’t keep my e-mail by date or time. An attachment on an e-mail is neutral to me. It does not influence how I treat the e-mail or process it when I first scan my in-box. One other thing I do is delete all e-mail that has the previous threads as part o f the over all message. I figure that if I’m keeping the latest message, with all the previous threads, then I don’t need to keep earlier versions because they are redundant and now incomplete. That helps cut down on the clutter. The problem is, however, that sometimes you have several different threads because people add others to the thread, they reply, and then it gets more complicated. I still try to cut down on the number o f versions o f an e-mail and all its threads. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? I use it for more than just communications. I use it for information storage and retrieval. When I first began to use e-mail, it was just another means o f simple communications, asynchronous communications. The other guy didn’t have to be at the other end for it to work. It was great. But, now it’s not so simple. Everyone has access to e-mail and they all use it differently. I have noticed though, more people are starting to use it for more things than just simple communications, especially the younger members o f our workforce. The older workers didn’t grow up with it so they use it for simple communications still, if they use it at all. I use it as my knowledge source. Also, more and more, it is becoming a means for tracking and monitoring my tasks. Increasingly, I’m spending more time in e-mail. I’m sending more e-mail relevant to my work, and so there is an increase in responses, which increases my need to check e-mail. It is circular, a vicious cycle that is necessary. I’m conducting more and more dialog through e-mail. It is a collaborative, though asynchronous, means o f communication, and most convenient. Part II: Observation Date / Time: Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received 2 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had approximately 40 read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was maximized ■ did not have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Cognitive process expressed aloud: This is not a normal morning, usually I usually have many more messages than this waiting for me in the morning. The first message is misrouted to me. I get a lot o f these because people don’t pay attention to the address list when they select the name. My name ups up first, before my father’s name, so many times people think they picked the right name and send it without checking. I’ll forward this to the right person, as usual. I never read them because I may get something I’m not suppose to see. Now I’ll delete it from my in-box. This other message is junk, so I’ll delete it. Now I’ll look at what’s still in my in-box and see if there is anything I need to work on now. Usually I review this list first thing in the morning, or when I know its time to work on something I left in the in-box. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 145 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 20 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 22 July 2002 at 0715 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? There is information overload and it is caused by the Internet. Personally, I find it frustrating when I try to find information. I think this because others think differently than I do. They think differently, so they structure their information the way they think, making it less likely for me to find, given the way I think. It’s hard for me to find the right data most o f the time. Society is getting more information because o f the increase in the capability o f technology. You can see this as the technologies o f radio, television, telephones, and now the Internet have evolved. When one technology comes along, it doesn’t necessarily replace older technology, it just adds to the means that can be used for providing information. Sometimes the same information is sent using two or more o f these technologies, but that only makes it worse, because if you don’t want it one way, you probably don’t want it another way, either. The situation is progressively getting worse. Every generation has had to deal with information overload, but this generation and future generations are going to have to deal with it like no one in the past. 2. How do you define information overload? That’s simple, it is accessing or receiving more information than you are prepared to handle, or deal with effectively. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? I hang up on tele-marketers. Or, with other sources o f information I didn’t ask for, I will listen or take in what information is being delivered. But, if I get frustrated because I don’t understand or can’t see how it is useful to me, I just quit. I quit when my frustration level gets too high; it’s not worth it. For example, when I read the newspaper I sort out the sections I want to read and set aside the others for someone else, or throw them away. When I sit down to read the sections I’m interested in, I skim the headlines to see what I might read, and read only what appeals to me. I do the same thing with the snail mail. I sift through what is delivered and toss what doesn’t appear to be important. Although, it is getting harder and harder to make sure you don’t throw away a bill or something really important since marketers are advertising on everything these days, making it difficult to detect pure junk mail. I guess the answer is, you have to sort based on relevance, which implies that you have some sense o f prioritization and importance. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes. It is so easy to shotgun e-mail to so many people, o f course there is information overload in e-mail. I get information all the time that I don’t care about. Especially at my home e-mail address, the amount of junk e-mail is not so much a problem in terms o f volume, but the time it takes from you to determine its importance to you is what bothers me. There is too much time wasted dealing with junk e-mail. Determining what is relevant takes too much time. It is the same with the regular mail from the postal service. You have to sort your e-mail just like you have to sort your regular mail. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? I react right away to my e-mail at work. This helps me stay on top o f the situation. Because o f the way my job is I have my e-mail set up to notify me as soon as e-mail arrives, this way I can deal with it right away. It is one o f the very first things I do each morning when I come into the office. It is part o f my morning routine, almost like a ritual, to check e-mail. I read the subject line, then decide what to do with it. Basically, I trash it, read and react, read and hold for later, or do what ever I have to do given the message. I know that I can’t let it go or I’ll have information overload in my work e-mail. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 146 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? What I use to do was read my e-mail from the bottom up. What I mean by this is, I read the oldest e-mail not yet read to the newest e-mail not yet read. This didn’t work too well, however, because I found that I was reacting to messages before I realized there was a later message changing the situation, but I didn’t know it until after I reacted to the earlier message. So, now I read the messages in the order o f newest to the oldest not yet read. This works much better for me. I look at the subject line first, then the sender. I try to determine the importance and urgency to decide what I’m going to do about the message. There are times when I’m expecting something from someone I’m working with so I’ll look at the sender first, but that isn’t often and not my rule. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? I use e-mail as a means o f basic communication. It also serves as my primary storage for information and reminders. I do find it convenient also to use it for tracking my assignments. I have folders for many o f my assignments or projects. I can save messages that pertain to the status o f my projects, progress, reminders, and ticklers. Another nice thing about the e-mail environment is that it provides a nice audit trail for what I do. I can recall what I did by looking at my sent folder, and looking at my project folders when I want the history or chronology o f events. I can sort by topic or project. I save by topic or project, but not by person or time. I use my in-box as a visual reminder o f things I have to do. It’s a “hot list” for me. I delete all but the latest on the thread o f e-mail. I keep things up to a year, but no longer. There are some exceptions, but not many. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 29 July 2002 at 0645 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 10 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was not maximized ■ did have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Cognitive process expressed aloud: Not many e-mails this morning, so I’ll do a quick scan to see who sent me messages. O.K., nothing that jumps out as urgent, so I’ll scan them from last in by looking at the subject lines. This e-mail is from Larry so I’ll delete it. This is a return receipt so I’ll delete it. This one I’ll have to follow- up on, so I’ll save it for further review later. This appears to be a duplicate so I’ll delete it. This is e-mail I know has an action item for me so I’ll keep it and read later. This e-mail has some information I want to retain so I’ll file it in the project folder. This is from my division head and it has an attachment. It appears to be o f some value so I’ll save in my ISAT file and read later. Now, I’m done with all my new messages, so I’ll continue to review my in-box to see what I left there from previous sessions. Most o f these are e-mails pertaining to the projects I’m working on, so they are reminders o f meetings, or things to do, or things I’m still waiting on from others. I’ll keep them in my in-box for now. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 147 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 23 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 23 July 2002 at 1530 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? Information overload is real and it’s snowballing. It is happening at an ever-increasing rate. Personally and professionally, it is overwhelming us. In the past 20 to 30 years it has gotten worse. I can give you many personal examples. People are required to do so much multiplexing these days that it is not unexpected that people and organizations, businesses, with information want you to give some o f your time to consider what they have to offer. It is expected that we do many things at one time, so o f course there will be information overload at times. At work, the American culture is to be more productive, be more competitive than the others in the market, the others around the world. We’re always trying to keep up with the pace and the demand to accept information. It is not healthy. 2. How do you define information overload? It is the feeling that you must absorb information presented to you that is important. You must determine which portion you want to absorb. “Overload” suggests more than can be absorbed in “traditional” ways. The traditional ways are reading the newspaper, magazines, and the U.S. mail. Today, there are so many other ways to push information onto you. The traditional ways were less volume at a lower rate. Today, there are all these electronic ways, telephone, television, and the Internet, or computers in general. The volume is higher and the rate is much higher. It is harder to deal with information overload today because the old ways o f dealing with it don’t work. It was easier to draw a line and prioritize, make decisions about what you need and don’t need, easier to determine your information needs, determine whether it warrants your attention and time. It’s just not that simple today. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? I make a priority assessment o f the new information that comes onto my radar screen. Let me use the U.S. Postal Service as an example. I assess the mail daily to see if I even need to open it. I do this by the envelope and packaging, by who the sender is, and whether, or not, they spell my name right on the address. You know if they don’t have that right, then they are not giving you personal attention, so they don’t get mine. Once I determine something is relevant, I have a sort routine based on the content and the relevance. I determine those factors by doing a quick read or a quick scan o f the content. I do this with TV ads and e-mail as well. I assess, triage, then act accordingly. I try to maintain a single focus, do things in a serial order, and remain conditioned and disciplined by not deviating from my practice. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes. With three e-mail accounts, two at work, one classified and the other unclassified, and one at home, I definitely believe there is information overload with e-mail. Also, I’ve noticed a drastic increase in the volume o f e-mail on all three accounts lately. There is more than ever before, especially on my home account. The junk e-mail has sky rocketed. I think the low cost o f sending e-mail has caused a spike in my junk e-mail. There is a low cost in terms o f dollars and effort. It is so easy to send e-mail to literally hundreds o f thousands o f people with the push o f a button, a few keystrokes. It is easier and cheaper than ever before. The target audience is huge and e-mail is just another path to that audience. Also, e-mail can be focused and tailored to these large audiences, unlike in the past where it was difficult or expensive to tailor content to large audiences and communicate that content. Also, the speed to deliver the content is amazingly fast. It is virtually instant. At work, it is not as bad, but then there is not the volume o f junk e-mail that you have on the Internet. However, some e-mail you get at work is not as relevant to you as other e-mail. But, that can’t be helped. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? 148 For my work e-mail, the main office system, which is the classified system, I attend to it constantly to keep it from becoming an overload to me. Compared to the other two e-mail accounts, this is a priority and the senders are limited to my business environment, so I’m less likely to get truly junk e-mail, though it happens on occasion. There are always those baby shower announcements that I could careless about when the person is located in one o f our remote sites, like in San Diego, and I’m not likely to attend. Why don’t they limit those messages to just their location? They don’t need to send the message to all network users. For the unclassified e-mail account, I check it once or twice a week, unless I’m expecting something or someone has called to tell me they’re sending me something via that account. As you know, I have to leave my desk and go to one o f those workstations to access my unclassified account. As for my home account, there I have the most control over what I get. Typically, it is personal. I make faster delete decisions there, because it is much easier to see what is junk and what is not. Overall, I spend more time on my classified system, I have it set to notify me o f when e-mail arrives, and I use the preview feature often. I keep up with it by not letting it build up. I look at it first thing in the morning, do a quick scan, flag those messages I need to do something with, and get back to all the others. I don’t have too many other file folders for keeping or saving e-mail messages, but I have some. I leave everything in the in-box because the sort capability is so powerful I can find anything I need quickly by sorting on the right words. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? I have a simple process. I look at author and title. I leave everything in my in-box and highlight, by marking those messages I want highlighted, as unread. This way they stay red and draw my attention back to them. The priority I’ve given an e-mail message is directly related to what I have ongoing at any given time. I may be waiting for a reply, or some input, so I’ll look for those senders and likely go to their messages first. Attachments don’t normally make a difference to me on how I handle the e-mail. I do try to take an action immediately and I try not to print e-mail to cut down on the paper I have to manage. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? E-mail is an all-in-one environment for me. It is my means o f simple communication with colleagues on work matters; it is the place through which I interact on tasking that I have assigned to me, and for those actions where I’m tasking others. It serves as my knowledge management environment because o f the search and retrieval capability it has. I have some files for saving e-mail messages. I structure my files by project or category, not by sender. I also have file folders set up by time, for example, some things I save are relevant to matters that happen quarterly or annually, so I have files set up for these things, that way. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 30 July 2002 at 0845 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 8 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was maximized ■ had the preview pane activated ■ scanned the entire list o f unread messages in the in-box ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 149 Cognitive process expressed aloud: There are considerably less messages this morning than I normally have, but it is likely because so many o f the people I work with are on leave this week. In any case, this message is about the command climate survey, so I’ll read it. I’ll keep it. This next message is telling me why there are problems with such and such; I’ll keep it. I’ll file this in the appropriate file folder. I’m basically archiving it. I’ll delete this one and this one. I wonder why this message was sent. I’ll have to re read the related message sent yesterday. I won’t do that right now, so I’ll mark this as unread and get back to it later. This message I need to read more carefully later. Now I’m going to review the rest o f my in-box, starting with those I marked as unread. This is my way o f creating a tickler system within e-mail. All the red messages are actually read, but because I want to come back to them, I mark them unread so they stand out from the others. Here are a few I can delete now. These I can save in the proper file folder. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 150 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 34 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 25 July 2002 at 0915 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? Given the social norms today, it is expected that we all do more with less. This means we need to take in information on matters about which we’re not well informed. This is partly driven by the rise in affluence, but not the increase in spending power. Affluence has risen, but spending power has not kept pace. In other words, I’m asking for more and more information to satisfy compelling needs. This has broad implications. There are many sources from which to seek information. As a personal example, as a new father, a first time father, I sought information on what to expect, what to do, and how to be a dad. I was on a quest for information, and there was so much out there. I found it difficult to validate and verify all that I collected, and that which I had gained elsewhere. Also, I do not believe there is any more raw information out there today than in the recent past (by recent past I mean the last five to 10 years). My point is we are now paying more attention to more details o f disparate pieces o f information. Let me give you an example using the shoreline. The shoreline has always been what it is for the past five to 10 years, assuming away erosion for now. However, we have the ability to now magnify each measure of that shoreline and get into the detail at an increasing level o f fidelity and precision. There has always been that detail, but our ability to get at it was not what it is today, so it was always there, but we didn’t have to deal with it. Technology is allowing us to see the same amount o f raw data or information, but examine it with more detail than ever before, so there in lies the overload. 2. How do you define information overload? Information overload means one is exposed to so much information that there is no reasonable way to comprehend and assimilate it to turn it into a useable product. In most cases, you don’t ask for what you get, you’re not looking for what you get. You are getting what someone else wants to push upon you. Someone else is saying to you, look at this. This is push information. The push is what makes the recipient dichotic. In other words, their overload is up and their interest is down. So, it is important to take steps to make sure Spam never arrives. There is another aspect to consider and it has two dimensions, one dimension is necessity o f the information, and the other is desirability for the information. Let me give you a work example, as I prepare for the new position o f Information Assurance (I A) Liaison, I am changing my level o f interest on information I’ve always collected about IA. It was always desirable, but now it is virtually a necessity for preparing for my new position. In other words, what was less relevant before now, is now more relevant to me. This suggests that priorities are dynamic and change, but the scope and volume o f information is the same. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? I prioritize the information I need and am most desperate for. Information comes from so many disparate sources and priorities shift, so it’s not easy. You can’t eliminate information overload. It is difficult because we are forced to manage down into the details, to the point o f what is sufficient. As I mentioned earlier, learning to be a new dad was exhausting, searching for the right level o f information and detail. You learn quickly that you need to strike a balance between what is important and what is nice to have. You need to leam how to make smart trade-off decisions. You need to enlist surrogates to accept some o f the information overload. You have to eliminate irrelevant information, prioritize multiple concurrent areas in which you seek information, and you have to enlist help. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? For me, no. At least no more than with snail-mail, because I have techniques that are very effective at helping me avoid information overload. No, because o f my natural practices. The potential exists, but the actual event does not. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? 151 I treat my e-mail address as something golden. I minimize the number o f times I give it out. This is my personal e-mail account, not my work e-mail address. By limiting its distribution, I reduce the unsolicited e-mail I receive. I eliminate as much unwanted mail as possible. I prioritize what I do get and get to the important mail first. If I can’t get to it right away, then I will get to it as soon as possible. I review and respond quickly. I may leave something as unread as a tickler and go back to it later. I am able to have all unread mail float to the top so I can see it quickly and easily. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? Some people have a triage scheme. I don’t. I have what I call a euthanasia scheme, not triage. I want to see how much e-mail I can get rid of, just kill it swiftly. I continuously assess the e-mail and put it into categories. This process lets me cut my e-mail into smaller and smaller amounts. Each cut makes it tighter and tighter. However, the volume is increasing in my personal account. With my personal account I use an automated tool called Spam Buster to help me go through this process. It is set up to look at the person sending the e-mail, the subject line, the body o f the message, the size o f the message, and other factors that I can set as filters. It allows me to customize the filters to my personal preferences. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? I use e-mail to keep information archived, information o f significance. The recall ability o f specific information is important, or sometimes I need to reconstruct the chronology o f events, and I can do it easily within my e-mail environment. Less frequently, but more dramatically it is an archiving tool for after the fact. In other words, archiving is not the first intent o f use for e-mail. The first intent o f use is for communications, for dialogue. For those to whom I address e-mail in the “to” part o f the address line, I expect dialogue, not those in the “cc” or “bcc.” Others to whom I include in the address line (“cc” and “bcc”); I’m not expecting a response. Let me answer you this way, I use e-mail as a collaboration tool, communications tool, an archival and retrieval tool, a way to transfer information between work and home, and vice versa, and for continuity. With continuity, I mean that it is a terminus connection point to extend hours for work. E-mail is a way to broadcast information, have dialogue, collaborate, and continue work elsewhere. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 26 July 2002 at 0700 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received approximately 10 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was not maximized ■ did have the preview pane activated * scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 152 Cognitive process expressed aloud: I’m doing a fast scan o f the in-box. I’m looking at the messages from top to bottom, which is the order in which they most recently arrived. I’m looking at the subject line, then the sender. Once I finish my scan I may decide to close the preview window, though it looks like a slow morning, so I’ll most likely leave it open. I have two copies o f what appears to be the same message, but forwarded by two different people. I’ll delete one and read the copy that has an attachment. From what I’m reading, I will need to read the attachment, so I’ll save this for later. This message from Ken, I’m not expecting it, and looking at the subject line, it is a low priority. I leave it marked unread so I remember to come back to it later. These three messages from the help desk I’ll mark for deletion. This message I’ll discard, and these messages are relevant to an action item I’m working, so I’ll keep them for now. That completes my review o f new messages. Now, I’ll scan all my unread messages. I keep messages marked unread, even after I read them. I do this as a means o f having a tickler system. O.K., there’s nothing I need to do immediately. I’ve refreshed my memory on what’s pending, so I’m ready to move on to other work. I have my e-mail set up to notify me when a new message arrives and I’ll see to it at that time, if I’m not otherwise engaged. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 153 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 35 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 26 July 2002 at 0815 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? The problem is more than information overload. The problem is, we’re all trying to find those nuggets o f information that are applicable to our jobs. Take for example the IT investment portfolio process w e’ve been developing. There are several models from which to choose. Each model has various forms, collecting or asking for a lot o f data. There are several organizations with competing models, each with different forms, underlying methodologies, and processes. Now, our job is to decide which o f these is most suitable for our needs. Before, the field from which we had to choose was smaller, and maybe easier. Now, there are too many from which to choose. This makes it difficult because we need to know the goodness and the validity o f the information, which means more sifting through what you have available. There is an overabundance o f information, and it is harder to know the validity o f what you have. The information you have may be good, but you don’t know where it fits or how it can be used. What do you do? You need to understand the situation and know what results you want. You need to allow more time to get the answers you need. You need more time to find those nuggets o f information. 2. How do you define information overload? Too many good candidates, too much similar and incomplete information available, this is information overload. The information is never in the perspective you’re looking for. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? If I find a source o f information that appears to emphasize or have my perspective on judging issues and information, then I’ll favor that source. I’ll favor that source to help me make decisions, or decide for me. The more important the issue, the more time I’ll spend learning about the topic and about where good sources are for helping with this topic. Reliability o f the source, timeliness, and value are the factors that matter to me. Timeliness pertains to how timely is the source in delivering what I need or want. And, value is several things, the usefulness, relative to the ease and cost o f obtaining it, and the benefit o f having the information. In other words, the reward or satisfaction gained. This is why it is important to prioritize. I prioritize the sources o f information based on my experiences in those terms: reliability, timeliness, and value. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes, because it is like having a conversation with 1,000 people at the same time. It is slightly asynchronous. I say this because I will be in the middle o f drafting an e-mail message and get two or three hits while typing my message to send. I give so many brief time slices because o f these interruptions. This is why it is slightly asynchronous. A lot o f the overload has to do with Spam; this is with my personal account, which receives about 1,100 messages a week. I use my personal e-mail account for a FAQ I used to maintain, but I still get e-mails from just about every college and university that teaches a course on assembly language programming because that is what the FAQ was about. This is primarily what is adding to my SPAM problem. As for my work situation, there is also stuff I get that has no meaning. There is not as much, but it is time I have to take to determine whether it is SPAM, or not. I have to shift through it because it may be important and useful, but I won’t know unless I take the time to look through it and decide. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? Well, being in customer service I want to check my e-mail constantly. Just like when the phone rang a minute ago, I was dying to answer it because I’m so conditioned to responding to the customer. With my e-mail notification, I have it set for every minute to check for new mail. So, if I’m here I know pretty much when an e-mail arrives, and depending upon what I’m doing, I’ll check to see what it is. I check to see if it is important enough to change what I’m doing, change directions. I handle these matters on a case-by-case basis. For the unclassified system, here at work, I check once a day, and at home, I check my personal account once a week. The classified system at work is my central and critical e-mail environment for work. It is important to me to be responsive and decisive about managing my e-mail. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 154 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? I have a fairly simple triage methodology. I sort into three groups. There are those messages where there is no impact if no action is taken, then those from important senders, and finally a group that gives me a sense of some importance given the issue, or may be it pushes one o f my buttons. The subject line and sender are the key indicators for making my determination. In every case, I may do a cursory read o f the message if the sender and subject lines are insufficient for me to make a determination. When I think about the actions that I take, I think o f this triad: respond, action folder, or in-box. For the respond category I many times stop what I’m doing and literally respond right then. Those messages that go into the action folder are messages I’m not going to respond to immediately. And, the in-box, those that stay in the in-box are routines. I’ll get to them when I get to them. As for attachments, they do not invite me to look at the e-mail any sooner, or at the attachment itself, unless the body o f the e-mail message gives me little or no information about why it was sent in the first place. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? I use it as a way o f getting information from people without having to call them or walk over to them. It is a way to document something. Today, more and more, people are telling me to put something in writing before they’ll do something I want, so I do it in e-mail. E-mail is a very easy way to do that. I don’t purposefully delete e-mail messages. I have every e-mail message ever sent to me or received since 1994. I don’t have so much that I can’t find things. Finding things is easy. With sort routines, it is so easy to find what I want. People can’t believe it when I forward to them an e-mail from eight years ago. They’re amazed and usually pissed off because I’m reminding them o f what they said back then, and it usually isn’t what they’re saying now, that they said. In any case, I find it easier to keep everything and not try to delete messages. I would rather spend my time managing how to save and archive my e-mail, than sift through it trying to decide what to keep and what not to keep, wondering if I’m keeping the right messages. My way relieves me o f that worry, and I’m disciplined now to save my messages regularly, and archive my oldest messages onto my local drive, and then onto removable media. The only e-mail I’ll delete is return receipts, which I use rarely. Occasionally I may inadvertently delete messages, but not often. Because I save all my messages, I use e-mail for record keeping. As you can imagine, I have access to a wide variety o f information, from those annoying baby shower messages to the real work related information. I have it all. E-mail is a great asynchronous means o f communication. In this way it is used for simple and basic communication, but that is where information is generated, it is generated in and by that communication. It is used for task monitoring for most o f my more formal taskings, but I prefer a separate task tracking database. I used to have one, but I didn’t maintain it and I’m thinking o f resurrecting it. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 13 August 2002 at 0700 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received 3 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was not maximized ■ did have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 155 Cognitive process expressed aloud: I don’t have many e-mail messages this morning because I stayed late last night to catch up on my e-mail. As you know, after two weeks o f leave I came back to a whole lot o f messages, I had over 190 messages. So, that’s why I have only three. Most o f my e-mail starts coming after 0800. This message is from Bud and has information about the 0730 meeting, so, I better look at it. I need to open the attachment. I’m reading the attachment, deciding what it means. I don’t need to take any further action with this matter until I get to the meeting. Here’s another message about the 0730 meeting, and since it appears to be a duplicate, but from someone else, I’ll get rid o f it. This e-mail is about OSPRA and is for information only, no action required. Well, that was quick. I will usually review my draft folder next, once I’ve reviewed what’s in my in-box. I go to the draft folder because many times I’ll begin a reply simply for the sake o f creating a reminder, also many times my best thoughts about how to react or respond come to me the first time I read the message to which the response applies. Also, these draft messages reflect the open or pending “hot” actions, I’m working on. As you can see there are several in my draft folder. Many o f them are from yesterday as a result o f sifting through over 190 messages. Here’s one that is customer service related, here’s one to the XO. There are approximately 50 messages in this draft folder, all from yesterday. I will continue going through them today, throughout the day. I just realized that my out o f office notification is still turned on, so that might also be why I received only 3 e-mail messages since yesterday. I’m going back to my in-box now. As you can see, I have 1, 572 messages in my in-box alone. I don’t use file folders because it is too much work. I never know which folder to save something in, or if it needs to go into two or more folders, it is a problem. I archive my in-box monthly, which is about 700 e-mail messages, with attachments, each month. Right now, I have two months worth o f messages because I didn’t get to it before going on leave. I have every e-mail message I’ve received since 1992. Sure, there may be a few baby shower e-mails I’ve deleted, but you should see the faces o f people who tell me that they never said something, but I can show them where they did say something in an e-mail back in 1994. They just hate that. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 156 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participant: 38 Part I: Informal Interview Date / Time: 19 July 2002 at 1530 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? Yes, it does exist. There is a high pace o f information coming at us because we’re in the digital age. People can’t absorb all the information thrown at them. They can’t recall most o f what they’re exposed to on a daily basis. People can’t comprehend all o f the information they receive, there is too much volume coming at them. Everyone has a saturation point, but I think it is reached sooner in the case o f white-collar workers than with blue-collar workers, but it happens to everyone today. It happens in varying degrees. 2. How do you define information overload? For any given period, there is more information than can be processed into meaning. One can never catch up; data comes in too fast today. There is data overload, not just information overload. I see there is a hierarchy, where data leads to information, and information leads to knowledge, so the problem begins with that which is basic to information, data. You can never catch up, data comes in too fast, and it is continuous, so you have to stay on top, or you will be overwhelmed or overloaded. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? The only meaningful way to manage information overload is to know your environment. You have to know what you need to do your job. You have to filter out, or ignore what is not relevant. These are the things I do. Longevity helps. The longer you’re on the job the easier it is to do these things because you leam over time what you need and where to get it, and what’s relevant. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? Yes, because you can send something to anyone with an e-mail address. You can send something almost effortlessly. It is easier to send since it is passive, there is no personal contact required, there is no personal interface. One can be an introvert and feel comfortable communicating because there is no sense o f presence by others. E-mail also allows people to avoid direct confrontation because there is no face-to-face contact. There is also great reach. You can go wherever the network goes. Also, one o f the biggest reasons why there is information overload in e-mail environments is, there are too many people with poor judgement, and who send meaningless messages. They send meaningless messages to everyone they can, not just to those who may want the message. E-mail is definitely the cause o f information overload in the electronic environment. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? I react quickly. I don’t let it build up and become a problem. I field the e-mail as it comes in. I respond on the spot, unless I don’t want to impact what I’m doing right then. I acknowledge the impact o f e-mail to my ongoing work. I will open messages within a minute or two when I’m present. When I’m out o f the office, I’ll get to it fairly soon after returning. I have a triage scheme I use to help me stay on top o f my e-mail. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? My triage scheme involves the time o f day, who it’s from, urgency o f ongoing work, and who is in my office at the time I get incoming e-mail. Part o f my daily start routine is to look at my e-mail. In the morning I look at the over all volume received. I look at the originator because I have a small set o f people whose e-mail gets priority consideration. I look at the subject line, which is where I get a sense o f importance and from which I determine my level o f interest. Then I consider “FIFO” (fist-in, first-out). When scanning the volume I do look for replies to messages so when I’m looking at FIFO, I don’t respond to a message that has a reply, which typically has the most current content. When there is a reply to a message that arrived first, I will ignore it and go to the reply. There are some messages I just don’t look at. Most messages that I determine that I have a need to reply to, I do so immediately. Also, I rarely print out en e-mail message. 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 157 Without a doubt, it is my knowledge base. It is a means o f communication, but it is my knowledge base because it is convenient, and serves as an accountability tool for me. It is a good record for keeping track o f what and when. I don’t use return receipts. I use it for tasking and tracking tasks. About one quarter to one third o f my e-mail is for that purpose. The rest o f my e-mail traffic is for information sharing or receiving. I share information by using links; in other words, I share by reference. I’m seeing this from others also; I’m seeing this more and more instead o f sending attachments. Part II: Observation Date / Time: 14 August 2002 at 0655 Researcher’s observations: Participant: ■ received 8 e-mail messages since the previous session ■ in-box had many read e-mail messages, enough to fill the in-box window, which was maximized ■ did not have the preview pane activated ■ scanned the list o f unread messages in the in-box in reverse chronological order; the reverse order in which they were received ■ marked for deletion all system messages and other messages deemed not relevant ■ was decisive about how to act with each message Cognitive process expressed aloud: This is a typical amount o f e-mail waiting for me when I get into my e-mail in the morning. It is somewhere between eight and 12 messages. At first glance, I see there are none from the high visibility group o f people, like the CO or the executive director. Here is one message from Ken that I’ll look at later. This one is from the help desk, I’ll just delete it. I’ll look at Lucy’s e-mail because it’s about the interview panel. I’ll respond to this message immediately. My response is brief. I have a few messages from Doreen with the same title. So, I’ll look at the most recent message, which turns out to be addressed to Gary, actually. I was copied as an FYI so it’s not for me to respond. Here’s one that is a thank you for something, so I’ll delete it right away. This message is from Gary. It is an FYI, so I’ll read it and then delete it. It appears to be a progress status report. O.K., I’ll delete it now. This message is from Larry and it too is a status report regarding circuits. I will forward this up the line to Richard as an FYI, and to Ray and Chuck as well. Here is another from Larry regarding TEMPEST test results, it too is an FYI. I’ll read it then delete it. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 158 Informal Interview (Part I) and Observation (Part II) Record Participants: 6, 8, 16, 36 Part I: Informal Interview (group) Date / Time: 30 August 2002 at 1030 1. What do you think about the notion o f information overload, does it exist? (8) Most definitely, it exists. (6) Yes, it exists in our work and personal lives. (36) Of course, it exists; it causes some o f the stress in our lives. We see it in the form o f junk e-mail in our home e-mail accounts, we get calls at dinnertime from tele-marketers trying to sell us stuff, and it’s all over. Part o f the problem is there are so many sources o f information today. Each source wants to get your attention, so they bombard you with their information in many ways hoping that one o f those ways gets to you. (16) Yes, it’s everywhere, home, work, leisure, and any other way you can think of. There are so many examples it’s hard to begin explaining. Also, it is redundant. The information you get from all these sources is the same information. You’re forced to deal with it over and over again. (8) Part o f the reason you have to deal with it is because o f survival. You need to deal with it because it is necessary, you need some o f the information, but you don’t know what you need until you see if what you get fits into what you’re doing. For example, I need information for me, my wife, and my kids, for work, for pleasure, for so many things. (36) The economy makes things so competitive these days. It is forcing business to use so many different channels to communicate with consumers that it is overwhelming at times. The cause is not technology, but it contributes because technology makes it easier for those who want to push their information on to you, to do so. (6) Yes, that’s exactly right. Technology makes it so easy, but it’s not the cause. Trying to get your attention to buy something is the cause, technology only fuels the problem because now just about anyone can use technology and get into the act. 2. How do you define information overload? (16) Basically, information overload is getting more information than I can use at any given time. (8) Yes. I agree. (6) That’s true, but I think it is also too much information received for the processing capability I have. Too much information for taking meaningful action. (36) You’re right, that’s more complete. (8)1 agree too. (16) Yes, she makes an important point. There has to be a part o f the definition that considers one’s capacity for processing within some acceptable time period, because if that action is too late, then so what? You may have received the information, processed it, but not when it was most useful and valuable. 3. How do you personally manage information overload? (16) I delegate and disseminate as much as I can to avoid information overload. I can do this at work and since I’m single, I can avoid most information overload situations in my personal life because I’m structured and disciplined in my ways. (8) Well, with kids, it’s hard, plus, I don’t have someone to delegate and disseminate to at work. I’m the one who is doing the work. I just have to prioritize. It’s that simple. (6) Yes, that’s true, but prioritizing isn’t simple. You have to know what you need to know, and when you need to know it to be able to prioritize what you get when you get it. Otherwise, you may miss something you need, or get something you need, but not realize you need it then. (16) I agree with her. I have to gather information based on what I’m doing at that time, or know I’ll be doing at some time in the future, and collect what I need for those situations. (36) Yes, it depends upon your environment, whether you’re at home, or at the office, the environment tells you what you need to know. (8) Well, it’s not the environment all the time. It depends on what you’re doing and need to know, and when you need to know it. (16) That’s all true, but I think w e’re all saying the same thing, and that is, we need to know what we need to know. (6) We need to collect the information based on those priorities we decide on, and our information needs are dynamic depending upon where we are and what we’re doing. (16) Our lives are much more complex today, so it’s not easy to do all this, but we’re forced to do it. (6) Yes. I agree. (36) I think he said it just right. 4. Does information overload exist in your e-mail environment? (8) O f course it does. E-mail by its very nature creates information overload. (6) That’s true because it is so easy to send someone an e-mail. (16) I agree it is effortless to send e-mail. You don’t even have to think about it, you just do it. (16) Also, you can send your message to so many people so easily you sort of shotgun the message and let them figure out if it is o f any value. (36) Well, that’s why there is so much junk e-mail, because o f that type o f thinking. (8) Well, it’s true. (36) I know it is, but that’s the problem. (6) Also, I feel there is information overload in my e-mail environment because I have several e-mail accounts. I have two at work, one for classified and the other for unclassified work, and four separate accounts at home. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 159 I have so many at home, because I use them for different purposes. One I use when I buy stuff on-line, the other is for communicating with friends, one for communicating with family members, and one because, well, I use it when I’m traveling. I can access it where ever I’m at and can get access to the Internet. (8) That’s crazy. You’re adding to your problem by having so many accounts. (6) No, because I go to which ever account serves my purpose at that time. (8) Yes, but don’t you get junk e-mail in all o f those accounts? (6) Yes. (8) Well doesn’t that make for more work? (6) No, well sort of, but not really. I delete all the junk e-mail without looking at it because I’m not interested, but I do this so infrequently that it does take time just to delete it. As for work, I get too many messages that are the equivalent o f junk e-mail, but work related. They’re work related, but not relevant to me and my work. (16) Not me, I get just what I need. (8) Yes, but you get the all-hands e-mails too. Are you saying they’re relevant to your work? (16) No, but something someone wants me to know. (8) Well, maybe you don’t want to know what they’re sending, or need to know it. (16) True, but I don’t mind reading it because I don’t get much e-mail anyway. (36) Well I do, and it’s hard enough to keep up and get my job done. (8) I think we’re all in agreement. (16) There is definitely information overload in our e-mail environments. (6) Yes. (36) Yes. I agree. 5. How do you personally manage information overload within your e-mail environment? (16) Filters, that’s the only way to do it and survive. (6) No, filters can’t do it all. You have to look at your e-mail regularly so that it doesn’t build up and collect. (8) You have to prioritize your e-mail. You have to do e-mail like information in general. (16) You have to know what you need and leam how to detect it when you see it. (8) I agree, but prioritizing e-mail is important. I do that by looking at who sent me something and then by looking at the subject line to see if it is important. I appreciate it when people put “FYI” in the subject line because I know there is no action and I can look at it later if I don’t have time to read it right away. (6) I think that is true, but it’s hard with multiple accounts, so I do it with those accounts I use most often, and not so regularly with those accounts I use infrequently. (16) There is definitely information overload in e-mail and it sounds like we all agree that prioritizing and filtering are pretty common ways to deal with it. (36) Yes. (6) Yes. (8) Yes, but don’t forget, you have to look at it regularly too, else it gets out o f control. 6. What techniques do you apply when reviewing or screening your e-mail? (8) Didn’t we just answer that? (16) No, I think he means what do we do with the e-mail messages, the action we take with them, correct? (8) O.K. then, I try to take action immediately. For example, I look at the sender and the subject to determine which messages I’m going to look at first. If there is action to take, I try to take action immediately. In other words, if there is a question being asked, and I can answer it right away, then I do so. Otherwise, I save it until I can get the answer, then respond. (16) Well, I do something similar, but my goal is to delete as much as I can on the first pass through my in-box. I want to get rid o f all the clutter, so I can concentrate on the messages that are more meaningful. (36) I do that too. (8) Not me. I keep everything ever sent to me, no matter how relevant or irrelevant. I move the irrelevant stuff into another file folder, but I don’t delete it because you never know when something that appears irrelevant may become relevant. (16) That’s crazy. (8) Maybe for you, but it works for me. Also, I take action as soon as I can. I don’t like things to linger, otherwise I feel like too much is hanging over my head. (36) Yes, that’s how I feel sometimes when I have too many things happening at one time, and I know I’m suppose to respond to e-mails, return calls, and do things that I can’t get done right away. I don’t like the build up o f things. (6) Well, I use folders to help me sort out my e-mail. I take action right away. I either delete it, reply to it, or save it as a reminder that I have some action to take. Once I’ve taken action, then I file it in the right folder. I have folders for projects and for time. (16) I have my e-mail saved by quarter and sometimes the messages are saved by project and by time depending upon how important it is and how I may need to recall it later. (6) One o f the things I do is to make several passes through my in-box before I decide what to do. Also, I like the preview window. I have it set so that I can read those messages that are short. If the whole message doesn’t fit into the preview pane, then I most likely won’t read it and will come back to it later on the second pass through the in-box, after getting rid o f some things. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 160 7. How do you use the e-mail system at work? (16) I use it as an information tracking system because it is so easy to search for information with the search function. I can track information easily. (8) I use it as a reminder system. I leave things in my in-box as a reminder that I have something to do, or as a reminder o f an event. Once I’m reminded, then I either delete it or save it in one o f my file folders. Also, I use it for archival o f information I want to keep. I can recall it when ever I need it. (6) I use it as a database for all sorts o f things. It keeps current information and historical information for me. I can get to it when I need it because of the powerful search capability. (16) I agree with them, it is all o f those things for me. It is so convenient to keep everything in one application and not worry about where it may be. Attachments are the one exception because I can’t search on the content o f the attachments, but I keep all my attachments attached. I rarely detach them. (36) Not me, I don’t use e-mail in exactly those same ways. I do sort of, but I don’t like e-mail all that much. I prefer to communicate using the phone or in person. I don’t like waiting for a reply in e-mail. I want instant feedback or answers. So, e-mail is not my primary means o f communicating with people, and so, the communications I get in e-mail is not a primary information source for me. I use the features and capabilities, but I don’t rely upon e-mail like most people appear to do. Part II: Observation Date / Time: N/A No observation. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 161 Appendix J: Survey Questionnaire Results; Part III data collection Participant 1 Item # Section A Item 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree Section B 16 My occupation is: 301/341/343 17 My level in the organization is best described as: Technical and Administrative Support 18 I have been using computers for: More than 20 years 19 I have been using e-mail for: 11 to 15 years 20 Gender: Male 21 Highest level o f education: Bachelors Degree Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail 31 to 40 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 31 to 40 messages I receive daily is: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 162 Response 80% 20% I keep all messages, which I deem important enough to keep for future reference. I am one o f the individuals sited for excess messages but old messages have played an important part in the overall management support provided to Scott and division personnel. Those that I consider “junk.” For example, bake good sales, messages regarding information for which I no where it is located. Actions, which I have completed and feel they have no future value. I will periodically go through all my messages, both received and sent, to see what value they may still have. If I deem them to have no further value, they are deleted. I have certain in-boxes, which I will move subject matter mail to them. i.e. Policy Folder, FOUO Folder. I do not archive as not sure anyone has ever received instructions on how to archive messages for easy retrieval in the future. If I need to find a generic mail and think I know the individual who sent it will sort messages by name. Occasionally I will do a search if all else fails. 4,956 329 22 120 Weekly 4 No No Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. Response I would say 95% o f the time, e-mail does not generate information overload. Quite the opposite. E-mail is a vital tool for keeping people informed and obtaining information in a hurry. The 5% overload usually comes from mail that requires an "anticipation that the receiver o f message knows what sender is referring to or has same level o f expertise as sender.” No To the best o f my knowledge, I do not believe anyone is experiencing any major information overload. Again, there is probably what I previously called “anticipation from some senders, which may cause a sudden overload stress feeling.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 164 Participant 2 Item # Item Section A 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Undecided Strongly Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 16 to 20 years Male Bachelors Degree Fewer than 10 11 to 20 65% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 165 Response 35% Administrative Procedures Customer Problem Resolutions Some Command Policy Emails. All receipts and any emails not listed in number 26. In monthly folders and specific emails i.e., COMSEC, Budget in its own folder. 16 1,422 0 60 Monthly 1 No No response No response No response No response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 166 Participant 3 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Manager More than 20 years 11 to 15 years Female Some College No Response 31 to 40 20% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 167 Response 80% 1 - pertaining to Budget 2- pertaining to Policy 3- pertaining to projects i.e. Y2K, major upgrades - these are deleted after a lessons learned is disseminated. 4- those that require follow-up 5- messages that pertain to personnel whom I supervise 6- pertaining to Contracts that I monitor. 1- SPAM announcements to "All Organizational personnel that are personal parties 2- Information that I know is duplicated elsewhere i.e. HelpDesk reports 3- Multiple Thread messages - keep the last thread 4- Messages containing documents - detach the document first 5- regularly (every 6-8weeks) clean out the SENT queue for redundant messages" The organized by subject matter 2,300 4,200 48 30 Weekly 10 Yes No mail assists in keeping the information available without having to memorize it Yes The IT field changes so frequently that it is almost impossible to stay an "expert for very long." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 168 Participant 4 Item # Item Section A 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Agree Undecided 301/341/343 Technical and Administrative More than 20 years 5 to 10 years Female Some College 11 to 20 21 to 30 20% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 169 Response 80% Messages requiring a little more time to respond. - Meeting notifications (if unable to update my calendar at that moment) - Inquiries requiring some research before responding. Informational / notifications (i.e., regular meeting reminders) - General information (i.e., bake sales, ticket sales, employee attendance, and notifications that are not pertinent to my daily activities). - Directive updates and information on Command act Messages requiring some type o f action or research are placed in an action item folder. Messages containing information to be added to my calendar or to be read at a later time are left in my in-box (highlighted in red as a reminder) and I usually take action within 1 - 2 days. 250 100 15 20 Monthly 5 Yes Yes If I am "courtesy copied on a message that is informational only, and if I do not have the time at that moment to decide if I really need to receive this info in the future, I usually continue to receive these messages until I make a decision. Also, when cc: on a message, you are notified every time a response/action takes place until the action/task is resolved. Usually 2-3 people are responding back and forth to the same e-mail and providing a courtesy copy to each addressee every time an action takes place until the issue is resolved." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 170 Item# 38 39 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. Response Yes When reviewing messages in which my colleagues are provided a courtesy copy, I perceive that the content o f the message is usually tasking 2-3 individuals to provide the same action/response. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 171 Participant 5 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Agree Undecided Disagree Disagree Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 15 to 20 years Male High School or Less Fewer than 10 11 to 20 60% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 172 Response 40% I keep all messages specifically related to work. Anything that is o f a personal nature (lunch announcements, retirement parties etc.) I keep them in mail folders. 44 500 48 30 Monthly 1 No No I do not feel I experience information overload. No Although there is a tremendous amount of information available, the people I come in contact with seem to process the information without being overwhelmed. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 173 Participant 6 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree Disagree 334/391 /2210 Technical and Administrative More than 20 years More than 20 years Female Masters Degree 11 to 20 21 to 30 40% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 174 Response 60% E-mail messages that I retain and archive or job related email. For example, if I request information to perform my job I would keep responses centered around that assignment, also action related e-mail requesting information from me. E-mail messages not directly related to me I organize my e-mail messages by subject matter. 40 No Response 24 30 Monthly 4 Yes No My experience with information overload is a recent research project I have in school. It my Directed Study Project for my Master's Degree I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information I have gathered. Yes Because quite often I hear them talking to their computer screen while their command email is up. I gather that they would prefer not getting some o f the email messages they get. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 7 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Undecided Undecided Undecided Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Undecided Disagree Agree Undecided 33 4 /3 9 1/2 21 0 Senior Technical 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Male High Scholl or Less Fewer than 10 11 to 20 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 176 Response 50% Anything that is specifically related to my job, including e-mails passing on information to assist me in understanding my job. Anything that does not specifically relate to my job. I try to organize them based upon based upon areas that I work in, whether Next Generation or Legacy systems. Then have them sorted by arrival, then if I need to find one by individual, I change the sort order to individuals name. 700 900 5 30 Weekly 5 Yes Yes It can when you receive a lot o f non-related info and have to filter through all o f the e-mails to determine what you need and don't need. Yes For what I do, I get a lot o f e-mail, I would also think this o f my co-workers, not including upper management, and their additional responsibilities which would be increased by a larger factor. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 177 Participant 8 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Undecided Undecided Agree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Undecided 334/391 2210 Technical 5 to 10 years 5 to 10 years Male Some College Fewer than 10 11 to 20 40% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 178 Response 60% 1. Government notices 2. Training notices 3. Work related emails (Job specific) 4. Equipment outages 1. Miscellaneous items (Non-related work items) i.e., Retirement Luncheons, non- essential information. I keep specific emails in a folder I have created in Lotus Notes. For instance, if the subject o f the message pertains to Thrift Savings Plan, then that message would be put into the Government Notice folder. 70 72 17 15 Monthly 2 No No Question 35. Do you experience information overload? My answer to the question is two parts. First, I do experience an information overload if I'm out o f the office on TDY or training for a week. As soon as I return to work, usually there is roughly 80 to 100 emails in my inbox that I have to go through. Second, when I am in the office daily, I am able to manage and consistently check my inbox periodically so that I don't allow m yself to become overloaded. Question 36. Is email contributing to the experience o f information overload? Yes and No. When I'm on travel and return to work, yes it is an overload. When I'm in the office constantly checking my email, no it is not. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item# 38 39 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. 179 Response Yes Yes my colleagues are probably experiencing the information overload from email from time to time. However, I have been in the field o f computers for quite some time and I have supported a lot o f GS-15's and SES government employees. During my tenure at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the technicians and I spent a great deal o f time assisting managers with archiving mass amounts o f unread emails. I could not comprehend how those managers, manage to read and take actions on every email that required action. I believe a person in this situation must be cognizant o f the fact that allowing yourself to handle such a task can be detrimental to oneself. We are human and we do have a tendency to forget. My advice for individuals who are in the situation o f allowing themselves to experience the information overload, is to delegate and disseminate. Having a secretary or a right hand person can clearly save you time as well as help you efficiently manage your daily task. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 180 Participant 9 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because of the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree 301/341/343 Technical and Administrative 11 to 15 years 5 to 10 years Male Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 21 to 30 20% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 181 Response 80% messages that pertain to my responsibilities, some that may serve as a reference, such as policy, procedure, etc., messages, messages that are not directly related to what I or my division does to satisfy mission requirements. initially they stay in my in-box and periodically (once per quarter) I file them in folders by subject. 141 1,970 14 30 Weekly 5 No No Response I don't believe I feel a level o f stress from the information that I receive at work, therefore, I don't think I’m experiencing information overload. No haven't really heard any complaints about too many emails or having too much information, in fact, I think the opposite may be more true lack o f information and lack o f communication. I’ve certainly heard complaints about this, sometimes people think an email sent is an email read and understood, this misconception feeds the mushroom feeling some have regarding lack o f information and lack o f communication, (mushroom feeling = being kept in the dark) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 182 Participant 10 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Manager 11 to 15 years 5 to 10 years Male Some College 21 to 30 21 to 30 95% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 183 Response 5% Business related SPAM Folder system by customer, project, system, business unit, internal division, technology, reference material, receipts, For Action, CIO Responsibility Areas 18 24,232 135 45 Weekly 5 Yes Yes Mail queues develop until I can close actions from mail messages that require an action from me or someone else. Number o f mail messages that contain a large volume o f content required to read in order to determine the main point or points in the message. How many action items do I get from mail messages received. Yes I hear them say the same thing. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 184 Participant 11 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 334/391 /2210 Technical More than 20 years 11 to 15 years 5 to 10 years Some College 21 to 30 31 to 40 80% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. Response 2 0 % 1 keep all emails pertaining to work requirements. Most o f the ones from supervisors. The ones that aren't work related. In box and supervisor's name 180 70 2 No Response Monthly 15 No No No Response No No Response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 186 Participant 12 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Undecided Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree 334/391 / 2210 Technical More than 20 years More than 20 years Male Bachelors Degree Fewer than 10 11 to 20 40% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 187 Response 60% Mostly work related, personnel and training info, and meeting minutes. OSPRA, luncheon announcements, baby showers, past meeting announcements, any with old or no longer needed info. By subject, i.e. specific work areas, meeting minutes, personnel, security, training. I leave current mail in my inbox as a "to do list. Once the action has passed, I store them in the appropriate folder or delete them." 24 3,000 45 15 Daily 1 No No I can keep up with what info I need to know to do my job and e-mail is a natural part of that. No I don't notice any overt sign that info overload is occurring. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 188 Participant 13 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree No Response Agree Agree 334/391 / 2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years More tan 20 years Male Bachelors Degree 10 to 20 31 to 40 60% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 189 Response 40% Anything concerning policy, project info, GETS info, budget info, switch project info, CAPT S messages, Mr E Q's, Scott messages if not just gen info, Calling Card, Cell Phone, N7 msgs, and many more folders. HR promotions, EEO info re events, Scott Gen info such as Staff Meet sch fo r ..., baby ann, — basically any gen house keeping things that are not permanent or policy. Set up folder for certain items - such as N7, CAPT, Mr. E, Scott, Calling Cards, Switch Project, Gen Info, Policy etc. 1,983 2,043 30 45 Weekly 10 Yes Yes You go to an all day meeting and find a couple pages o f e-mails, voice mails, papers in the in-basket etc. It is hard to get through everything quickly and sort out what is number one. Yes I hear the same comments as I listed above. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 14 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Undecided Undecided Disagree Disagree 3 3 4 /3 9 2 /2 2 1 0 Senior Technical 11 to 15 years 11 to 15 years Male Masters Degree 11 to 20 More than 40 99% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 191 Response 1% All but the most irrelevant to my work occasional irrelevant messages about retirements, unclaimed mail, network outages, etc. I attempt to sort them into subject folders 940 24,475 50 30 Daily 1 No No I use email primarily for communication, which is essential to my job. I tend to rapidly ignore and delete junk mail or irrelevant information that I do not solicit. No No one has indicated this to me. Further, I do not believe that I fully understand what you mean by "information overload. A definition in your words might have been helpful." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 192 Participant 15 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Agree Undecided Agree Undecided Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Undecided 334/391/2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 11 to 15 years Male Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 21 to 30 30% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 193 Response 70% Mainly specific taskings and key subjects regarding issues and projects I am working on. General e-mail (OSPRA, Sick personnel, etc.). Key subjects go into folders and current taskings are in the inbox. 41 400 26 60 Weekly 4 Yes Yes Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 194 Item# 37 Item Please explain your previous answer. 38 39 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. Response A few o f points: 1. A good deal o f the information is not applicable specifically to me. Therefore, one could argue that is not the best utilization o f time. 2. Some personnel use e-mail in such a way that conversation ensues. After repeated e-mails back and forth, the conclusion is: "We need to have a meeting. Being that writing takes a much longer time than simply verbal communications, a considerable amount o f time is lost. The worst o f it is - the personnel are within 50 feet. For myself, many times I will cease to reply at some point and go see the person. My perspective is that if someone knows they may have that many questions/concerns, they should schedule a meeting. I realize that meetings are believed to be a "waste" by many, but they do still have a place. 3. Some e-mail, although it is work related, would perhaps be better served with a one-on-one correspondence vice a "Reply to all" to every message when it is mainly just two persons in acting the replying. " Yes If nothing else, the constant comments about how much e-mail they receive while I am standing nearby. Also comments such as "Do I care? while they are reading their mail seem to be a common theme." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 195 Participant 16 Item # Item Section A Response 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Agree Agree Disagree 334/391 / 2210 Technical and Administrative Support More than 20 years More than 20 years Male Some College Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail 11 to 20 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 21 to 30 messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive 35% do you keep? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 196 Response 65% Messages from customers. Announcements, baby, events, things not pertaining directly to me. I sort my mail in the morning and afternoon into the appropriate folder 200 750 20 75 Daily 15 No No No Response No I do not believe this because o f the size o f our company and the use o f bulletin boards we do not receive as much mail as a larger company would. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 197 Participant 17 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Undecided Agree Agree Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Undecided Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical 16 to 20 years 5 to 10 years Female Bachelors Degree Fewer than 10 31 to 40 40% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 198 Response 60% E-mails with scheduled meeting dates and times, E-mails with Things to do. E-mails requesting system changes or assistance. E-mails requesting time for a meeting. E-mails that say IMPORTANT in the subject line. baby showers Bake sales Retirement Luncheons Farewell luncheons cc's just to be kept in information/issue transfer loops notices o f web postings Help desk notices Personnel absence notifications Keep in inbox by date. Sort by sender Keep one calendar year active for non-deleted e-mails, Keep for historical reference. Delete prior calendar years. 3,000 300 16 45 Weekly 7 Yes Yes By being included as a cc on e-mail issues o f any kind, you are not sure whether you are responsible for the issues, expected to perform some undefined task or solve some problem. Too much e-mail information not specifically addressed to me, results in <DELETE> Yes I think my colleagues receive a similar number o f unsolicited e-mails. There is not enough time in the day to respond to everything so you pick your top 10 and manage from there. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 199 Participant 18 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree 334/391/2210 Technical 5 to 10 years Fewer than 5 years Female Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 11 to 20 80% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 200 Response 2 0 % I try to keep all important e-mail messages that pertain to my job and information that involves the Command, DOD, and/or DoN. I mostly delete e-mail messages that pertain to return receipts, Birthday/retirement announcements, Rec Association functions, and "out o f office replies." I create folders, which are organized by subject. I try to keep a small amount o f e-mail messages in my in-box by keeping only e-mail messages that haven't been read or resolved. When I am finished with the e-mail messages, they are either placed into its proper folder or deleted. 16 No Response 20 45 Monthly 5 Yes Yes No Response Yes I have heard people complaining that when they are out for just one day, they are overloaded with emails upon their return. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 201 Participant 19 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree 301/341/343 Technical and Administrative 11 to 15 years 5 to 10 years Female High School or Less 11 to 20 21 to 30 70% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 202 Response 30% Messages that deal with issues I am working on or will work on in the future, budget issues, minutes from Directors meetings OSPRA messages, outages, luncheon notices (too many!) The majority I keep in the in-box, by date. Others I organize in folders by subject. 4,736 470 30 60 Daily 5 Yes Yes I am the type o f individual who cannot let e-mail back up. I feel I have to read it and answer it that day. So much information comes in each day, that I read it and highlight it again so that I can refer to it later. Sometimes I go back and am surprised by how much I have to refer to again. I feel I can't absorb it all sometimes. Yes I think it is a way o f life for individuals in our field. Some individuals feel that everything has to be expressed in e-mail, even things that should not be sent. The problem with e-mail is that people use it to vent, and it can cause hard feelings. I've seen it happen a lot lately. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 203 Participant 20 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Undecided Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Male Bachelors Degree 21 to 30 31 to 40 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 204 Response 50% Any pertaining to specific projects I'm involved in. Any informational (notice of policy, directorate and division meeting reports, etc), notification o f meetings that I need to be aware of. Notice o f parties, retirements, births, trips, bake sales, etc. Notice that someone is out for the day. In-box: those that I will act on within the week, notification o f meetings, those that are "on going communications between multiple parties. Ordered by the date received. Other folders: all other emails that I will keep." 72 1,000 35 20 Monthly 1 Yes Yes There are times that I feel there is more information than I need or can handle and since e-mail is the major form in which I receive information, I would have to agree that e-mail is contributing. Yes Based on the complains (comments made) about the number o f e-mails (mostly junk mail) received made in general conversations, I would say that my colleagues experience information overload as well. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 205 Participant 21 Item # Item Section A Response 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Undecided Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: 334/391/2210 Technical and Administrative Support 16 to 20 years 16 to 20 years Female Bachelors Degree Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail Fewer than 10 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 11 to 20 messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive 50% do you keep? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 206 Response 50% e-mail messages pertaining to my job and responsibilities retirements announcements I organize them by projects, date and time 15 50 6 15 Weekly 5 No No Response No Response No No Response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 207 Participant 22 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Technical 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Female Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 21 to 30 70% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 208 Response 30% emails that pertain to a project that I am working on emails that give some type o f approval-this can be for work related or personal emails that give instruction for a technical solution such as a systems admin instructions on how to do something to correct a problem emails that tell me when someone is not in today or coming in late emails for outages notifications all emails for regarding OSPRA activities all emails for someone’s going away luncheon any personal emails that I get for invites to lunch, coffee (anything personal) I organize the email messages that I keep by subject and try very hard to file them away. But often is the case that my inbox is full o f unorganized messages. 80 300 23 20 Weekly 5 No No Response No No Response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 209 Participant 23 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Undecided 334/391/2210 Technical 5 to 10 years 5 to 10 years Male Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 11 to 20 10% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 210 Response 90% Messages that require action on my part or that provide useful information for my employment (i.e. Training instructions, Human Resource information, administrative policies etc...). After I have read the emails, I delete those that provide general notifications or one-time events information. Basically, I delete emails that do not require action on my part, events that have past, or that provide no useful information to me. By sender and subject. 48 406 25 60 Weekly 5 No No I don't believe I experience information overload. I do receive a lot o f emails that do not require my action. However, it is good to know what is going on in the organization and email gives me the chance to participate if I am interested or have time. Any overload or stress that I may feel are from emails that require my action all at one time. In that case, I have no choice but to prioritize the emails and do what I can to satisfy everyone’s requirements, needs or questions. No I do not perceive my colleagues experience information overload, maybe just responsibility overload. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 24 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Technical and Administrative Support More than 20 years 16 to 20 years Male Masters Degree 21 to 30 31 to 40 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 212 Response 50% Those which are job-related, career-related, or functionally or organizationally significant. Those with medium-to-high future potential value (filed for future reference when action is completed). Those without anticipated lasting significant value, especially organizational SPAM, and announcements o f no interest or concern (to me personally). File in folders by "action area or "topic" or "function." Sometimes, if volume is high will create a folder for the above for each fiscal year or other time period. Keep many in "IN-BOX" for ready reference and until current action is completed, (many o f these are 'highlighted' by re-setting the "not-read" feature to indicate their priority). Unfortunately, we cannot control some o f these filing features in each folder, and often they are reset/re-sorted by the software (to my frustration). When searching, will re-sort by sender, date, topic, etc. Use folders for file and future reference." 173 6,670 102 30 Daily 2.5 Yes Yes Yes, but in many cases, email just replaces paper for business. Email process provides more information — often/usually worthwhile additional information, which I might not have previously received. Therefore can better do my job with the additional information, and certainly feel more "involved and knowledgeable." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item# 38 39 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. 213 Response Yes They ignore incoming messages. Often don't read all o f messages sent to them, sometimes requiring an additional request for information already sent/received. General office talk o f information overload. Comments about email backlog and mass deletions especially following an absence from the office. Sometimes valuable information is deleted in error. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 214 Participant 25 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Manager 16 to 20 years 16 to 20 years Female Bachelors Degree 31 to 40 More than 40 70% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 215 Response 30% Work related e-mail I keep. It's serves as my history o f events with the customer. Broad Band announcements and advertisements I create folders for my e-mail. I create folders for each o f my customers, my administrative duties, and for each contractor, I deal with. 200 2,812 60 180 Daily 5 Yes Yes I physically get stressed by the amount o f e-mail I receive and need to respond too. The key is that the e-mails I receive, I need to respond to. They are predominately from customers regarding work and I want to be responsive to the customer base. It's an ironic paradox. Too much e-mail is stressful, but without e-mail, I wouldn't be able to quickly share information with my customers. I would spend days on fax machines sending and receiving documents. E-mail is a necessary evil. I'm actually relieved when I receive and e-mail and it is an announcement as I know I don't have and action and can delete it!!! Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # 38 39 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. 216 Response Yes I've seen colleagues as physically taxed or stressed as I am concerning volume o f mail they need to respond to. However, the alternate way o f doing business without e-mail would be more stressful and less efficient. I feel information overload can be attributed to trying to do more with less resources. It’s already a stressful environment, with e-mail at it's core. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 26 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical 11 to 15 years 11 to 15 years Male Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 11 to 20 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 218 Response 50% Personnel interest from OHR/Travel. Important Command/Departmental/Divisional interest. Recreational & all outdated e-mails All e-mails are organized by Subject/Chain o f Command (Dept., Div., Section) Easier to track 200 150 20 30 Weekly 15 No No Response Sometimes I feel that there isn't enough time in the day to read and answer every e-mail and perform daily duties. Yes Appears that reading and answering e-mail takes priority over other duties. Therefore, sometimes delays happen when it comes to performing timely repairs, on site surveys etc. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 219 Participant Item# Section 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Section 16 17 18 19 20 21 Section 22 23 24 27 Item A My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because of the number o f e-mail messages I receive. B My occupation is: My level in the organization is best described as: I have been using computers for: I have been using e-mail for: Gender: Highest level o f education: C The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical No Response More than 20 years Male Masters Degree Fewer than 10 11 to 20 10% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 220 Response 90% appointments, meetings, administrative information, information related to latest work project. notifications o f birthdays, leave notifications, misc. general information, completed actions, By topic or project 18 193 58 30 Weekly 5 No No Response I believe I get a normal amount o f emails. Those I delete without reading could be considered overload because I consider them not useful to me. Yes Just hear people talking about all the emails they get and the time it takes to sort through them especially after being out o f the office on leave. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 221 Participant 28 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 16 to 20 years Male Bachelors Degree 21 to 30 21 to 30 80% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item# Item Response 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 20% 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? Messages that pertain to actual work related effort. 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? Messages that pertain to notifications about outages, bake sales, going away parties etc. 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you I keep them in there default folders. Inbox save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, and Sent box. If I need to find a subject or by time, by sender, other - explain) messages from someone, I use my search command. 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 4,020 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 1,440 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 0 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 120 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? Weekly 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? 1 Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? No 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? No Response 37 Please explain your previous answer. No Response 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? No 39 Please explain your previous answer. I have not heard anyone complaining about e-mail overload. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 223 Participant 29 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 H ighest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree 334/391 /2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 5 to 10 years Male Bachelors D egree 11 to 20 21 to 30 35% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 224 Response 65% User issues, useful organization information, technical discussions and threads, completed work requests, pending work requests (keep those as "unread), important sent mail receipts to act as a reminder that a response is pending, meeting minutes, budget information, contractual information." Bake sales, people not at work, equipment outages at sites that do not impact me, messages that do not contain work-related issues or information, account termination notices that do not impact me, meeting notices that have expired, invitations to meetings that are in my calendar. Depends on the situation. Mostly, keep everything in my in-box sorted by date, create other folders to contain topics where I expect a significant amount o f e-mail traffic. Occasionally order messages by sender when looking for historical information or to reread an entire thread on a topic. I never sort by Subject as I use the search capability to find special Keywords that gets me the desired results. 5,654 5,677 13 15 Weekly 5 No No Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 225 Response My e-mail is a good source o f historical information and, as such, I purposely do not delete messages that I feel I may need to reference in the future. The messages that require action or a response on my part remain unread so I can quickly find out what e-mails I need to act upon. The majority of e-mails I receive just get thrown out. These tactics work well for my thought process and prevent information overload. No There are days when people are stuck on an issue where additional e-mails asking for immediate action may contribute to distress. However, I don't perceive that this a daily occurrence and the people I work with are professional and seem to be able to handle the vast amount o f information that is sent to them on a daily basis. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 226 Participant 30 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Strongly Agree 334/ 392/2210 Senior Technical 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Female Masters Degree 21 to 30 21 to 30 60% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 227 Response 40% I keep email 1) which I feel are necessary for any historical purpose, 2) for verification o f tasks assigned or work prioritization, 3) for summations o f meetings, 4) for record o f work requests, and o f course 5)anything related to controversy or dispute. I get aggravated when the SAs tell me to delete mail to free up space on the servers because email is a large part o f my "paperless record keeping, especially since I don't have a formal process." All the spam about name changes, luncheons, etc. from people I don't even know. I'm not very good about organizing my email. Mostly I am able to query them by sender or subject. 2,338 3,675 27 60 Weekly 20 Yes Yes Every time I open email someone wants something done or a commitment and have it done ASAP. I don't have a formal process for receiving work requests or prioritizing so it's very easy for people to overload me. If they had to talk to me in person, they'd plan much better because then they wouldn't want me to look at them in the face and say "What, you want it when?? Also then they would have a better appreciation o f all the other things I'm doing for other people. Email let's people off the hook o f planning or responsibility because it's too easy to say 'Well I sent you an email...' " Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # 38 39 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. Response No The only other person I notice getting information overload is my supervisor, because, he, like myself, gets forgetful because he gets inundated with so many requests via email. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 31 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree Disagree Agree Agree Undecided Agree Disagree 334/391/2210 Manager 16 to 20 years 16 to 20 years Female Some College 21 to 30 More than 40 10% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 230 Response 5% project-related and administrative e-mails delete receipts and outage messages at the beginning o f each month, delete all messages over 90 days old store e-mail messages in folders related to projects 2,748 917 61 90 Weekly 2 Yes Yes Actually, e-mail assists me in being able to better organize information. When information is received verbally, it is quite often jotted on a yellow sticky and soon loses its importance. E-mail, too, can result in the same difficulties if not organized properly. However, recently I have realized that I need to adopt a method o f improving information flow for the projects in my group. I plan to attempt to organize the data in a Lotus Notes database to minimize the flow o f e-mail. Yes I feel that too much e-mail is being distributed on a daily basis and that I contribute to annoying the engineers with endless questions. Hopefully, the Lotus Notes database will assist in organizing this information in a less annoying way. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 32 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Technical and Administrative Support More than 20 years 16 to 20 year Female Some College 21 to 30 21 to 30 40% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 232 Response 60% Work related messages. Policy or other organizational messages that are needed for reference. SPAM type e-mails. Invitations to luncheons and other e-mail messages that are not relevant to me. Archive to folders. 100 250 50 60 Daily 5 Yes Yes I get e-mail that is not relevant to me or the performance o f my job. Yes Per discussion with them or overhearing them discuss the number o f e-mails that they receive. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 233 Participant 33 Item # Item Section A Response 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Agree Agree Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Undecided Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: 334/391 / 2210 Technical and Administrative Support 16 to 20 years 5 to 10 years Male Bachelors Degree Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail Fewer than 10 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 11 to 20 messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive 5% do you keep? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 234 Response 95% Keep ones related to an event (meetings/work actions) until the event has passed/been completed. Keep ones with contact info that MAY BE o f use Keep ones with reference info links that MAY BE o f use Keep ones with reference type attachments MAY Be o f use Periodically (1- 2 years) if above refs not used I will delete Event announcements when over/not interested Informational type after I have digested info All e-mail sent by R. Etter (ha, ha) only by the normal default sorts time sender 650 50 0 30 Weekly 5 No No I do not experience information overload so I don't believe an explanation is needed. However, if I feel the symptoms of information overload coming on then I am in a position, which allows me to take a break from any informational intensive activity and still be productive (or simply take a break). If I get a little frustrated with managing e-mail I remind m yself you just have to take the good with the bad and it all seems to work out. If things really get bad with managing e-mail I remind m yself that it amazing that I am getting paid to "delete an e-mail about a baby shower. " Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # 38 39 235 Item Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. Response No That dazed, deer in the headlights look, has got to be something else. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 236 Participant 34 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Agree Undecided Agree Undecided 334/391/2210 Senior Technical More than 20 years 16 to 20 years Male Bachelors Degree 11 to 20 11 to 20 99% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 237 Response 1% 1 retain and eventually archive pretty much everything Routine notifications (i.e. HelpDesk report availability) Keep them in the inbox - use message marking to track new arrivals, follow-up required, etc 1,400 320 2 45 Daily No Response Yes No My prioritization / review scheme works fairly well. I certainly do not give every e-mail full attention. I feel that I allocate sufficient time to review and assimilate high priority information. As necessary, comprehensive archives allow me to recover information previously discarded. Yes Some people field 50-100 emails per day. Even with effective email management techniques, there is an upper limit on the time available. Eventually, other work priorities will prevail. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 35 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because of the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Agree 334/391/2210 Manager More than 20 years 16 to 20 years Male Masters Degree 11 to 20 31 to 40 100% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 239 Response 100% All None, intentionally. Do not as I rely on the search capability to find e-mails that I need to find. 2,430 45 1 5 Weekly 1 Yes Yes There is an increase in the shear volume of data (possibly there is a data overload). As a senior manager there is much data I have to read and determine its meaning (converting data to information). For example, what may be considered as SPAM may be an announcement that means nothing to me personally but may be something I need to emphasis to the people who work for me as an opportunity to broaden their experience or expertise. I must read e-mail not just for me but for all who work for me, and, in some cases, for the directorate. I try to find the nuggets that may be missed by others and try to convert the data to information by adding my assessment o f the importance or value o f the data. Yes I perceive those who work for me, not processing all o f the information through the e-mail, such as meetings or information needed to prepare for meetings. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 240 Participant 36 Item # Item Response Section A 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. Strongly Agree The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not Disagree necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my Strongly Agree work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. Disagree I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Disagree Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f Agree information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. Strongly Agree There are times when I feel overloaded with the Agree number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about Disagree how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we Disagree began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. Agree I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, Disagree face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail Disagree rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes Agree to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because Agree o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: 334/391/2210 Technical and Administrative Support Less than 5 years 5 to 10 years Female Bachelors Degree Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail 11 to 20 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 21 to 30 messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive 35% do you keep? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 241 Response 35% Only work specific e-mails out-of-office, ofc activities, birth's, birthdays etc I keep them in my inbox by date 100 100 4 15 Monthly 3 No No I'm not experiencing information overload in the work place, simply because I'm still fairly new to this organization and I'm still in the training phase and I haven't really been assigned a lot o f responsibility. Yes Yes, mainly because they have a lot responsibility and more customers rely on their service. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 242 Participant 37 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Agree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree Agree Disagree 3 3 4 /3 9 1 /2 2 1 0 Senior Technical More than 20 years 11 to 15 years Male Some College Fewer than 10 11 to 20 25% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 243 Response 75% I keep e-mail that deal with things that I need to accomplish at work. Any that have information that I feel I will need at a later time. E-mails that deal with any personnel issues that I have requested from OHR. Any that have meeting schedules. Parties, helpdesk daily reports, read and forget messages By subject in individual mailboxes. 30 50 10 15 Monthly 1 No No No Response No Response No Response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 244 Participant 38 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree 334/391 /2210 Manager 5 to 10 years 5 to 10 years Male Masters Degree 21 to 30 More than 40 75% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 245 Response 25% Those that contain info on that may be useful in the future. SPAM, those that contain minimal info for use in the future. Keep them in the in-box, sorted by incoming date. 5,000 50 2 100 Daily 5 No No Response No Response No No Response Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participant 39 Item # Item Response Section A 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Agree Disagree Section B 16 My occupation is: 301 /341 /343 17 My level in the organization is best described as: Technical and Administrative 18 I have been using computers for: 16 to 20 years 19 I have been using e-mail for: 11 to 15 years 20 Gender: Female 21 Highest level o f education: Some College Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail 11 to 20 messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail 21 to 30 messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive 95% do you keep? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 247 Response 5% I keep most o f them. Mostly for reference. However, many o f them remain in my inbox because o f lack o f time to manage my e-mail properly. I only immediately delete messages that were inadvertently sent to me or that were a simple response to an e-mail that I sent. Some e-mails are sent to folders that I've set up, i.e., Actions, Office Administrative, Budget, Leave & TDY etc. The others are left in the inbox. 1,787 173 12 30 Daily 5 No No The e-mails that I receive are mostly answers to questions that I've asked. No Everyone seems to use e-mail for all purposes. I think that if info overload was the case, people would use e-mail less than normal. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 248 Participant 40 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree Disagree Undecided Disagree Undecided Agree Agree 334/391 / 2210 Technical and Administrative 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Male Masters Degree Fewer than 10 11 to 20 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 249 Response 50% Any related to a project o f program I work with. Also, items that may be useful for future reference, e.g. list o f address & phones, and maps or directions. Any not included above, e.g., OSPRA notices, 'reminder' messages, notices o f absence or late arrivals, server outages. Generally anything that has a short half-life. I have 85 folders that I created to hold emails related to just about every subject/topic/project where I have some involvement. Some are really just archives as the project is completed or long dormant. Overall, any active project (i.e., kept by subject) has a folder to store items. 23 2,649 80 90 Monthly 3 Yes Yes Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 250 Item # 37 Item Please explain your previous answer. 38 39 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? Please explain your previous answer. Response While I'm not sure o f the definition o f info- overload, my impression is that information in large quantity is ubiquitous. Certainly technology allows us to publish a volume o f material (magazines, books, emails!) that was not seen just a couple o f decade ago. I wonder to some extent if the ‘publish or perish’ syndrome is permeating many fields outside of academia. At the same time in the IT business the technology changes so fast the corresponding volume o f related information probably is reasonable but not necessarily desirable. I don’ t know if the same holds true in non-technical disciplines. More to the point, email is just one more avenue for receiving information and thus does contribute to the overload (but I make no assertion that it is disproportionate) Yes It’s just a perception but reading the body language implies that they also get swamped periodically. Likewise, the scuttlebutt and unsolicited commentary reinforces my perception. The overload, in the case o f email, appears to happen in non-work related situations such as people’s home email accounts. Also, looking around the office at the periodicals and book shelves makes me wonder who might actually be reading all these books, magazines, and flyers. Again, this is my impression not based on hard research. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 251 Participant 41 Item # Item Section A 1 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. 2 The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. 3 Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. 4 I do not enjoy using e-mail. 5 I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. 6 Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount o f information received at work by e-mail (think content). 7 I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. 8 There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). 9 Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. 10 Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. 11 I enjoy using e-mail. 12 I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. 13 I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. 14 The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. 15 I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: Section C 22 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: 23 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: 24 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Response Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Undecided Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Undecided Agree Undecided Disagree 3 3 4 /3 9 1 /2 2 1 0 Technical 16 to 20 years 11 to 15 years Female Bachelors Degree 21 to 30 11 to 20 50% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience o f information overload? 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. 252 Response 505 Anything that I think I might need to reference later. Tasking information. Reminders o f meetings. OSPRA information, retirement information, etc. Anything that is no longer needed for work or reference. I have folders organized by subject for the most part. Some sub-folders as well. I archive messages to another mail file if I might need them for historical purposes. 45 2,600 120 60 Weekly 5 No No I'm pretty good at weeding out the information that doesn't concern me. No No idea, really. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 253 Participant 42 Item # Item Section A Response 10 11 12 13 14 15 My daily work requires me to use e-mail. The majority o f e-mail messages I receive are not necessary for my job responsibilities. Sending and receiving e-mail is important to my work accomplishment. I do not enjoy using e-mail. I regularly receive unsolicited e-mail messages. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information received at work by e-mail (think content). I feel I must reply to e-mail messages sent to me. There are times when I feel overloaded with the number o f e-mail messages I receive (think volume). Our organization does not need a policy about how people should use e-mail. Communicating at work was easier before we began using e-mail. I enjoy using e-mail. I feel that e-mail interferes with more personal, face-to-face communication. I prefer obtaining information through e-mail rather than through personal contact. The ease o f sending e-mail messages contributes to excessive use o f e-mail. I feel stress from information overload because o f the number o f e-mail messages I receive. Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Undecided Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Undecided Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Section B 16 My occupation is: 17 My level in the organization is best described as: 18 I have been using computers for: 19 I have been using e-mail for: 20 Gender: 21 Highest level o f education: 334/391 / 2210 Technical and Administrative Support 5 to 10 years 5 to 10 years Male Some College Section C 22 23 24 The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I send daily is: The estimated average number o f e-mail messages I receive daily is: What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you keep? Fewer than 10 11 to 20 25% Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Item # Item 25 What percent o f the e-mail messages you receive do you delete? 26 Which e-mail messages do you keep? 27 Which e-mail messages do you delete? 28 How do you organize the e-mail messages you save? (e.g., keep them in the in-box, by subject, by time, by sender, other - explain) 29 How many e-mail messages are in your in-box now? 30 How many e-mail messages are in all other folders now? 31 How many other folders do you have for organizing your e-mail messages? 32 How much time do you spend a day managing your e-mail? (Answer in minutes and round to the nearest 15 minutes) 33 How often do you need to find stored e-mail messages? 34 On average, how many e-mail messages are you searching for? Section D 35 Do you experience information overload? 36 If so, is e-mail contributing to the experience of information overload? 254 Response 50% I only keep the ones that are action to me or my group. I keep most o f them in the pending folder until the action is complete. I eventually move them to the particular folder after the action is completed. I also keep the emails that are action to my team leader, or my co-worker just to make sure things doesn't fall through the cracks. I always remind my co-workers have they responded to a certain email address to one o f the group members. I almost never delete an email from my senior management. Most o f the emails that I delete are the FYI type. I have no action. Going away parties, Atlantic City trips, etc. My emails are organized by subject in folders. I mention above, initially most of my action emails go into the "pending/action folder. Once the action is complete, I move it to the subject folder, CTCOMMS, ECS, SPECPROJ. Every six months, I check my folder to see if any can be delete." 32 527 25 25 Daily 2 No No Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 255 Item # Item 37 Please explain your previous answer. 38 Do you perceive that your colleagues experience information overload? 39 Please explain your previous answer. Response No Response Yes I think some people have a tendency to over estimate their own importance. They believe the more emails you send/receive the more important you are. Some people like to get too long-winded on their mail instead o f just sticking to the point in a few short sentences. They also like to "cc everyone to short how important they are or perceive they are. Information overload is their own fault if it does happen. The more emails you send and the longer they are, the more you get. Mine are short and straight to the point. "I get in and I get out" so to speak." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Appendix K: E-mail Activity Audit Record Results; Part IV data collection 256 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 1 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 0 - F - Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 355 20 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 0 - S - Sent: 0 - Total: 355 20 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 168 42 0 0 42 15 32 18 19 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 187 1 34 48 28 22 26 0 0 28 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Participant was on annual leave and official travel during this period. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 257 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 2 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted 208 12 F -Forwarded 3 - M - Received 172 10 0 - Filed 8 - R - Replied 6 - S - Sent 1 - Total: 398 22 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted 43 12 0 0 28 3 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 M - Received 88 16 0 0 34 6 12 9 11 0 0 - Filed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted 165 0 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 109 F - Forwarded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received 84 1 9 13 14 16 9 0 1 21 O - Filed 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 S - Sent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 258 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 3 E-mail Event: Total Averaae D - Deleted: 581 32 F - Forwarded: 54 3 M - Received: 496 23 0 - Filed: 33 2 R - Replied: 90 5 S - Sent: 52 3 Total: 1,306 73 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 70 0 0 0 51 6 8 0 5 0 F - Forwarded: 31 0 0 0 20 1 7 1 2 0 M - Received: 223 30 0 1 58 36 41 30 27 0 O -F iled : 4 0 0 0 4 27 0 0 0 R - Replied: 34 0 0 0 20 3 10 0 1 0 S - Sent: 20 0 0 0 5 4 7 3 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 511 0 12 5 5 7 5 0 0 477 F - Forwarded: 23 0 4 3 4 5 0 0 0 7 M - Received: 273 0 36 40 51 48 36 0 1 61 O -F iled : 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 R - Replied: 56 0 11 3 7 12 11 0 0 12 S - Sent: 32 0 6 8 4 5 5 0 0 4 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 259 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 4 E-mail Event: Total Avera D - Deleted: 1,202 67 F - Forwarded: 6 - M - Received: 257 14 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 23 1 S - Sent: 17 1 Total: 1,505 84 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F -Forwarded: 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 M - Received: 165 20 0 0 44 30 16 15 40 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 14 0 0 0 5 0 0 2 7 0 S - Sent: 15 2 0 0 6 0 0 5 2 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 1,202 0 0 0 0 0 1199 0 0 3 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 92 0 17 18 15 15 10 0 0 17 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 9 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 2 S - Sent: 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 260 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 5 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 142 8 F -Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 194 11 0 - Filed: 307 17 R - Replied: 20 1 S - Sent: 6 - Total: 669 39 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 89 11 0 0 11 43 6 10 8 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 102 16 0 0 23 7 21 17 18 0 0 - Filed: 214 11 0 0 15 155 13 12 8 0 R - Replied: 10 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 1 0 S - Sent: 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 53 0 4 8 15 9 11 0 0 6 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 92 0 13 20 15 15 15 0 0 14 O - Filed: 93 0 4 25 17 12 27 0 0 8 R - Replied: 10 0 0 3 2 2 3 0 0 0 S - Sent: 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 6 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 0 - F - Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 155 7 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 0 - S - Sent: 0 - Total: 155 7 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 83 21 0 0 12 17 16 7 10 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 72 0 6 13 8 13 10 0 0 22 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 262 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 7 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 61 3 F - Forwarded: 7 - M - Received: 177 10 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 17 1 S - Sent: 18 1 Total: 280 16 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 30 4 0 0 5 6 8 4 3 0 F - Forwarded: 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 M - Received: 91 17 0 0 22 7 18 10 17 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 8 0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 0 S - Sent: 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 31 0 0 2 1 6 5 0 0 17 F - Forwarded: 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 86 0 11 18 10 17 14 0 0 16 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 9 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 S - Sent: 15 0 1 2 0 8 4 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 263 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 8 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 166 9 F - Forwarded: 6 - M - Received: 167 9 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 3 - S - Sent: 13 - Total: 355 20 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 107 10 0 0 20 0 57 20 0 0 F - Forwarded: 5 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 M - Received: 97 18 0 0 15 21 17 14 12 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 8 0 0 0 3 0 3 2 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 59 0 15 0 19 0 0 0 0 25 F - Forwarded: 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 70 0 8 11 11 12 9 0 0 19 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 5 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 264 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 9 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 251 14 F - Forwarded: 21 1 M - Received: 0 - 0 - Filed: 3 - R - Replied: 57 3 S - Sent: 35 2 Total: 367 20 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 165 0 0 0 50 66 21 18 10 0 F - Forwarded: 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 R - Replied: 15 0 0 0 4 0 4 6 1 0 S - Sent: 13 0 0 0 3 3 1 3 3 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 86 0 0 0 24 36 12 0 0 14 F - Forwarded: 18 0 3 0 5 4 1 0 0 5 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 42 0 12 0 6 9 5 0 0 10 S - Sent: 22 0 5 0 2 4 4 0 0 7 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 10 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 109 6 F - Forwarded: 33 2 M - Received: 0 - 0 - Filed: 462 26 R - Replied: 116 6 S - Sent: 70 4 Total: 790 44 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 56 12 0 0 11 7 8 11 7 0 F - Forwarded: 14 1 0 0 0 2 5 4 2 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O -F iled : 208 39 0 0 44 23 36 35 31 0 R - Replied: 52 4 0 0 11 4 14 9 10 0 S - Sent: 35 5 0 0 4 3 9 7 7 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 53 0 6 8 0 21 10 0 0 8 F - Forwarded: 19 0 2 5 0 7 4 0 0 1 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O -F iled : 254 0 35 54 0 84 46 0 0 35 R - Replied: 64 0 6 18 0 26 12 0 0 2 S - Sent: 35 0 2 11 0 9 5 0 0 8 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 11 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 103 6 F -Forwarded: 1 - M - Received: 158 9 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 12 - S - Sent: 5 - Total: 279 16 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 94 0 0 0 6 0 87 1 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 72 15 0 0 13 9 17 7 11 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 7 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 M - Received: 86 0 12 15 5 20 21 0 0 13 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 11 0 1 0 0 4 4 0 0 2 S - Sent: 5 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 267 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 12 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 82 5 F - Forwarded: 2 - M - Received: 126 7 0 - Filed: 22 1 R - Replied: 13 - S - Sent: 7 - Total: 252 14 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 45 11 0 0 11 4 4 0 15 0 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 M - Received: 65 14 0 0 15 4 13 8 11 0 0 - Filed: 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 R - Replied: 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 S - Sent: 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 37 0 4 3 9 7 8 0 0 6 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 61 0 4 13 13 8 9 0 0 14 0 - Filed: 16 0 1 0 5 0 8 0 0 2 R - Replied: 8 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 1 S - Sent: 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 268 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 13 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 189 11 F - Forwarded: 1 - M - Received: 0 - 0 - Filed: 27 1 R - Replied: 2 - S - Sent: 2 - Total: 221 12 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 83 0 0 0 5 72 1 2 3 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 106 0 3 9 1 0 92 0 0 1 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 27 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 14 E-mail Event: Total Averai D - Deleted: 542 30 F - Forwarded: 25 1 M - Received: 849 47 0 - Filed: 272 15 R - Replied: 87 5 S - Sent: 27 1 Total: 1,802 100 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 396 10 0 0 336 15 9 16 10 0 F - Forwarded: 14 1 0 0 2 2 4 3 2 0 M - Received: 521 27 135 135 85 23 42 38 34 2 O -F iled : 114 5 0 0 4 5 11 77 12 0 R - Replied: 34 1 0 0 7 1 5 15 5 0 S - Sent: 14 1 0 0 1 0 3 8 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 146 0 11 8 8 11 9 0 0 99 F - Forwarded: 11 0 2 1 0 3 3 0 0 2 M - Received: 328 0 50 33 38 37 38 92 1 39 O - Filed: 158 0 45 18 35 24 16 0 0 20 R - Replied: 53 0 20 6 7 8 2 0 0 10 S - Sent: 13 0 2 3 1 5 0 0 0 2 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 270 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 15 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 219 12 F - Forwarded: 6 - M - Received: 203 11 0 - Filed: 221 11 R - Replied: 14 1 S - Sent: 7 - Total: 670 37 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 97 37 0 0 0 0 43 0 17 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 97 18 0 0 16 7 21 15 20 0 0 - Filed: 96 36 0 0 0 0 44 0 16 0 R - Replied: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 S - Sent: 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 122 0 28 21 26 15 11 0 0 21 F - Forwarded: 6 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 M - Received: 106 0 11 26 17 16 18 0 0 18 0 - Filed: 125 0 31 19 28 15 11 0 0 21 R - Replied: 13 0 5 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 S - Sent: 6 0 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 271 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 16 E-mail Event: Total Avera D - Deleted: 413 23 F - Forwarded: 5 - M - Received: 260 14 0 - Filed: 245 14 R - Replied: 69 4 S - Sent: 16 1 Total: 1,008 56 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 191 0 0 0 0 0 0 191 0 0 F -Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 M - Received: 105 0 0 27 20 22 21 15 0 0 0 - Filed: 99 0 0 30 9 26 0 34 0 0 R - Replied: 23 0 0 13 0 4 0 6 0 0 S - Sent: 8 0 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 105 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 F -Forwarded: 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 M - Received: 125 0 19 12 15 28 11 0 0 40 O -F iled : 117 0 15 7 36 26 0 0 0 33 R - Replied: 39 0 10 1 4 9 0 0 0 15 S - Sent: 8 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 3 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 272 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 17 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 34 2 F - Forwarded: 13 1 M - Received: 259 14 O -F iled : 0 - R - Replied: 22 1 S - Sent: 22 1 Total: 350 19 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 12 0 0 0 8 1 1 2 0 0 F - Forwarded: 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 M - Received: 134 19 2 0 19 19 30 28 17 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 13 1 0 0 1 5 3 0 3 0 S - Sent: 12 0 0 0 2 0 1 8 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 22 0 2 3 11 2 4 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 8 0 1 1 4 0 2 0 0 0 M - Received: 125 0 18 34 21 21 11 0 0 20 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 9 0 2 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 S - Sent: 10 0 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 273 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 18 E-mail Event: Total Averaae D - Deleted: 264 15 F - Forwarded: 14 1 M - Received: 286 16 0 - Filed: 252 14 R - Replied: 26 1 S - Sent: 15 1 Total: 857 48 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted 47 0 0 0 0 47 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded 8 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 2 0 M - Received 165 16 0 0 20 14 27 37 51 0 0 - Filed 166 0 0 0 0 54 0 60 52 0 R - Replied 15 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 10 0 S - Sent 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted 217 0 1 187 29 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded 6 0 2 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 M - Received 121 4 20 25 29 22 9 0 0 12 O - Filed 86 0 26 20 31 9 0 0 0 0 R - Replied 11 0 0 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent 6 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 274 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 19 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 145 8 F - Forwarded: 23 1 M - Received: 371 21 O -F iled : 5 - R - Replied: 66 4 S - Sent: 55 3 Total: 665 37 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 58 0 0 0 38 0 20 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 11 0 0 0 5 0 6 0 0 0 M - Received: 169 22 0 0 52 10 42 22 21 0 0 - Filed: 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 22 0 0 0 14 0 8 0 0 0 S - Sent: 19 0 0 0 7 0 12 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 87 0 48 11 7 21 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 12 0 2 0 4 6 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 202 0 32 42 36 43 26 0 0 23 0 - Filed: 4 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 44 0 10 7 14 13 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 36 0 5 9 18 4 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 275 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 20 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 0 - F - Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 277 15 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 0 - S - Sent: 0 - Total: 277 15 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F -Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 109 19 1 0 31 7 20 16 15 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 168 0 55 24 29 23 10 0 0 27 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 276 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 21 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 105 6 F - Forwarded: 1 - M - Received: 116 6 0 - Filed: 3 - R - Replied: 1 - S - Sent: 2 - Total: 228 13 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 55 11 0 0 10 0 19 9 6 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 62 14 0 0 11 7 13 7 10 0 O - Filed: 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 50 0 8 6 9 11 12 0 0 4 F - Forwarded: 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 54 0 9 12 6 9 9 0 0 9 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 277 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 22 E-mail Event: Total Averase D - Deleted: 322 18 F - Forwarded: 15 1 M - Received: 318 18 0 - Filed: 34 2 R - Replied: 72 4 S - Sent: 43 2 Total: 804 45 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 147 37 0 0 12 0 42 41 15 0 F - Forwarded: 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 M - Received: 131 21 0 0 21 19 27 29 14 0 0 - Filed: 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 R - Replied: 25 5 0 0 2 0 7 10 1 0 S - Sent: 16 4 0 0 1 0 2 4 5 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 175 0 41 21 20 21 19 0 0 53 F - Forwarded: 11 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 4 M - Received: 187 0 18 28 33 28 34 0 0 46 0 - Filed: 27 0 5 3 2 5 7 0 0 5 R - Replied: 47 0 6 5 7 15 9 0 0 5 S - Sent: 27 0 1 7 3 7 0 0 0 9 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 278 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 23 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 118 7 F - Forwarded: 11 - M - Received: 169 9 0 - Filed: 22 1 R - Replied: 12 - S - Sent: 10 - Total: 342 19 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 48 33 0 0 5 10 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 79 22 0 0 18 6 12 8 13 0 0 - Filed: 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 4 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 70 0 18 0 15 4 33 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 6 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 M - Received: 90 0 13 17 16 19 12 0 0 13 0 - Filed: 21 0 10 0 5 0 4 0 0 2 R - Replied: 10 0 3 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 S - Sent: 6 0 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 279 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 24 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 286 16 F - Forwarded: 5 - M - Received: 0 - 0 - Filed: 225 13 R - Replied: 27 2 S - Sent: 17 1 Total: 560 31 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 205 14 0 0 36 20 9 126 0 0 F - Forwarded: 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O - Filed: 108 14 0 0 40 22 20 12 0 0 R - Replied: 10 1 0 0 4 2 2 1 0 0 S - Sent: 11 3 0 0 4 2 1 1 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 81 0 0 14 32 16 4 0 0 15 F - Forwarded: 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O - Filed: 117 0 0 15 45 34 4 0 0 19 R - Replied: 17 0 0 0 8 4 0 0 0 5 S - Sent: 6 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 280 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 25 E-mail Event: Total Avera D - Deleted: 416 23 F - Forwarded: 40 2 M - Received: 469 26 0 - Filed: 139 8 R - Replied: 63 4 S - Sent: 15 1 Total: 1,142 63 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 160 30 0 0 30 0 27 21 52 0 F - Forwarded: 22 6 0 0 5 0 2 1 8 0 M - Received: 217 39 0 3 37 21 32 36 49 0 0 - Filed: 28 14 0 0 8 0 0 4 2 0 R - Replied: 29 8 0 0 5 0 3 5 8 0 S - Sent: 12 2 0 0 5 0 2 2 1 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 256 0 17 0 0 109 123 0 0 7 F - Forwarded: 18 0 1 0 0 6 10 0 0 1 M - Received: 252 0 37 47 22 62 48 0 0 36 O -F iled : 111 0 8 0 0 28 75 0 0 0 R - Replied: 34 0 9 0 0 15 8 0 0 2 S - Sent: 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 281 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 26 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 136 8 F - Forwarded: 3 - M - Received: 145 8 0 - Filed: 25 1 R - Replied: 9 - S - Sent: 7 - Total: 325 18 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 79 19 0 0 24 10 8 5 13 0 F - Forwarded: 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 67 18 0 0 13 6 13 7 10 0 0 - Filed: 6 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 R - Replied: 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 57 0 0 22 11 14 10 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 78 0 11 20 8 14 14 0 0 11 O -F iled : 19 0 3 0 6 3 7 0 0 0 R - Replied: 7 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 S - Sent: 5 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 282 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 27 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 113 6 F - Forwarded: 1 - M - Received: 135 8 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 7 - S - Sent: 6 - Total: 262 15 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 50 7 0 0 0 15 6 13 9 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 63 13 0 0 9 5 14 11 11 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 63 0 3 5 4 51 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 72 0 4 15 9 22 10 0 0 12 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 5 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 28 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 57 3 F - Forwarded: 20 1 M - Received: 259 14 O -F iled : 0 - R - Replied: 36 2 S - Sent: 20 1 Total: 392 22 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 35 8 0 0 8 9 1 4 5 0 F -Forwarded: 7 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 M - Received: 123 20 0 0 35 15 31 9 13 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 12 0 0 0 3 6 1 2 0 0 S - Sent: 7 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 22 0 6 2 1 4 5 0 0 4 F - Forwarded: 13 0 3 4 0 3 3 0 0 0 M - Received: 136 1 17 29 18 36 21 0 0 14 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 24 0 2 4 4 10 4 0 0 0 S - Sent: 13 0 3 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 284 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 29 E-mail Event: Total Averaae D - Deleted: 324 18 F - Forwarded: 24 1 M - Received: 541 30 0 - Filed: 337 19 R - Replied: 88 5 S - Sent: 54 3 Total: 1,368 76 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 128 26 0 0 51 16 0 35 0 0 F - Forwarded: 9 3 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 M - Received: 252 67 0 0 68 25 20 48 24 0 0 - Filed: 136 29 0 0 55 16 0 36 0 0 R - Replied: 39 18 0 0 5 5 0 11 0 0 S - Sent: 20 3 0 0 3 5 0 9 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 196 0 57 44 24 25 22 0 0 24 F - Forwarded: 15 0 4 4 3 0 3 0 0 1 M - Received: 289 0 62 74 47 31 35 0 0 40 0 - Filed: 201 0 59 45 24 25 22 0 0 26 R - Replied: 49 0 20 11 8 5 1 0 0 4 S - Sent: 34 0 7 8 4 5 5 0 0 5 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 30 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 84 5 F-Forwarded: 14 1 M -R eceived: 228 13 O -F iled : 1 R - Replied: 32 2 S - Sent: 24 1 Total: 383 21 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 55 11 0 0 17 6 6 6 9 0 F-Forwarded: 8 1 0 0 0 1 4 1 1 0 M - Received: 116 27 0 0 18 10 28 18 15 0 0 - Filed: 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 15 4 0 0 0 1 7 2 1 0 S - Sent: 15 1 0 0 1 3 1 1 8 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 29 0 0 7 5 9 4 0 0 4 F - Forwarded: 6 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 M - Received: 112 0 16 26 20 19 14 0 0 17 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 17 0 0 7 6 2 1 0 0 1 S - Sent: 9 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 3 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 286 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 31 E-mail Event: Total Avera D - Deleted: 209 12 F - Forwarded: 55 3 M - Received: 787 44 0 - Filed: 3 - R - Replied: 115 6 S - Sent: 161 9 Total: 1,330 74 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 114 0 0 0 36 15 16 32 15 0 F - Forwarded: 22 0 0 0 12 1 4 4 1 0 M - Received: 369 27 0 0 103 50 68 85 36 0 0 - Filed: 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 53 0 0 0 21 5 11 15 1 0 S - Sent: 57 0 0 0 16 9 14 12 6 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 95 0 15 0 26 20 0 0 0 34 F - Forwarded: 33 0 3 0 14 8 0 0 0 8 M - Received: 418 0 38 28 139 88 28 0 2 95 O - Filed: 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 R - Replied: 62 0 7 0 14 16 0 0 0 25 S - Sent: 104 0 12 0 42 22 0 0 0 28 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 287 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 32 E-mail Event: Total Average D -D eleted : 186 10 F-Forwarded: 55 3 M -R eceived: 351 20 O -F iled : 1 R -R eplied: 136 8 S - Sent: 115 6 Total: 844 47 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 112 0 0 0 58 6 8 40 0 0 F - Forwarded: 27 0 0 0 14 7 1 5 0 0 M - Received: 157 26 0 1 38 20 22 27 23 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 37 0 0 0 12 13 4 8 0 0 S - Sent: 34 0 0 0 7 10 4 13 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 74 0 17 11 0 19 16 0 0 11 F - Forwarded: 28 0 6 12 0 3 7 0 0 0 M - Received: 194 0 27 52 20 31 38 0 0 26 O -F iled : 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 99 0 13 32 0 27 21 0 0 6 S - Sent: 81 0 17 16 0 23 12 0 0 13 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 288 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 33 E-mail Event: Total Averaee D - Deleted: 372 21 F - Forwarded: 31 2 M - Received: 305 17 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 52 3 S - Sent: 23 1 Total: 783 44 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 164 13 0 0 38 30 36 30 17 0 F - Forwarded: 8 0 0 0 4 0 1 3 0 0 M - Received: 20 19 1 36 21 23 23 15 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 12 0 0 0 7 1 0 4 0 0 S - Sent: 7 0 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 208 0 9 9 71 85 10 0 0 24 F - Forwarded: 23 0 0 1 6 10 3 0 0 3 M - Received: 167 0 8 28 34 50 13 0 0 34 O - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 40 0 1 3 9 17 2 0 0 8 S - Sent: 16 0 0 2 4 7 3 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 289 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 34 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 70 4 F - Forwarded: 3 - M - Received: 197 11 0 - Filed: 70 4 R - Replied: 28 2 S - Sent: 28 2 Total: 396 22 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 70 0 0 0 0 0 70 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 84 17 0 0 20 11 20 6 10 0 0 - Filed: 70 0 0 0 0 0 70 0 0 0 R - Replied: 8 0 0 0 6 0 1 1 0 0 S - Sent: 6 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 M - Received: 113 0 8 25 14 23 17 0 0 26 O - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 20 0 3 7 1 6 1 0 0 2 S - Sent: 22 0 2 1 5 3 5 0 0 6 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 290 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 35 E-mail Event: Total Averaae D - Deleted: 13 1 F - Forwarded: 12 1 M - Received: 350 19 0 - Filed: 26 1 R - Replied: 26 1 S - Sent: 19 1 Total: 446 25 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 179 57 0 0 30 20 22 24 26 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 17 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 F -Forwarded: 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 M - Received: 171 0 15 29 23 28 21 0 1 54 O -F iled : 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 R - Replied: 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 S - Sent: 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 291 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 36 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 83 5 F - Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 159 9 O -F iled: 0 - R - Replied: 8 - S - Sent: 12 1 Total: 262 15 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 40 0 0 0 0 28 12 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 85 17 0 0 13 18 18 8 11 0 O - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 43 0 23 5 0 0 15 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 74 0 7 10 9 13 16 0 0 19 0 -F iled: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 6 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 S - Sent: 8 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 292 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 37 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 85 5 F - Forwarded: 0 - M - Received: 118 7 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 1 - S - Sent: 1 - Total: 205 11 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 38 6 0 0 19 2 0 11 0 0 F - Forwarded: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 65 16 0 0 11 5 12 7 14 0 0 - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S - Sent: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted 47 0 8 4 20 6 5 0 0 4 F - Forwarded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received 53 0 4 10 9 9 9 0 0 12 O - Filed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 S - Sent 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 293 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 38 E-mail Event: Total Averaee D - Deleted: 146 8 F - Forwarded: 68 4 M - Received: 531 20 0 - Filed: 0 - R - Replied: 75 4 S - Sent: 47 3 Total: 867 48 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 82 27 0 0 8 12 11 11 13 0 F - Forwarded: 35 6 0 0 12 3 5 3 6 0 M - Received: 247 61 0 0 47 32 37 35 35 0 O - Filed: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 41 9 0 0 14 5 4 4 5 0 S - Sent: 29 5 0 0 6 3 4 1 10 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 64 0 11 19 6 9 19 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 33 0 4 11 9 8 1 0 0 0 M - Received: 284 3 41 60 39 50 42 0 0 49 O -F iled : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 34 0 3 12 4 6 9 0 0 0 S - Sent: 18 0 2 7 3 0 6 0 0 0 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 294 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 39 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 157 9 F - Forwarded: 17 1 M - Received: 335 19 0 - Filed: 5 - R - Replied: 86 5 S — Sent: 54 3 Total: 654 36 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 8 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 0 M - Received: 149 39 0 0 31 18 26 17 18 0 O -F iled : 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 R - Replied: 36 9 0 0 6 4 6 6 5 0 S - Sent: 24 3 0 0 6 3 2 5 5 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 155 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 153 F - Forwarded: 9 0 2 1 3 0 1 0 0 2 M - Received: 186 0 31 43 26 21 30 0 0 35 O -F iled : 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 R - Replied: 50 0 9 15 5 0 11 0 0 10 S - Sent: 30 0 7 7 1 0 9 0 0 6 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 40 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 0 - F - Forwarded: 3 - M - Received: 138 8 0 - Filed: 134 7 R - Replied: 12 1 S -S en t: 8 - Total: 295 16 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F - Forwarded: 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 M - Received: 75 16 0 0 15 6 13 10 15 0 O - Filed: 56 20 0 0 3 0 17 0 16 0 R - Replied: 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 S - Sent: 4 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F -Forwarded: 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 63 0 8 15 7 13 9 0 0 11 0 - Filed: 78 13 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 40 R - Replied: 9 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 S - Sent: 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 296 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 41 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 429 24 F - Forwarded: 19 1 M - Received: 456 25 O -F iled : 354 20 R - Replied: 110 6 S - Sent: 56 3 Total: 1,424 79 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 215 91 0 0 13 11 14 0 86 0 F - Forwarded: 6 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 M - Received: 274 76 0 0 75 60 25 15 23 0 0 - Filed: 288 156 0 0 49 52 0 0 31 0 R - Replied: 64 28 0 0 23 6 3 0 4 0 S - Sent: 21 4 0 0 3 7 4 0 3 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 214 0 28 41 52 16 49 0 0 28 F - Forwarded: 13 0 4 1 1 2 3 0 0 2 M - Received: 182 0 40 26 40 24 24 0 0 28 0 - Filed: 66 0 19 17 11 2 15 0 0 2 R - Replied: 46 0 6 5 16 4 8 0 0 7 S - Sent: 35 0 4 8 8 5 6 0 0 4 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 297 E-mail Audit Activity: Record Summary Participant 42 E-mail Event: Total Average D - Deleted: 159 9 F - Forwarded: 10 1 M - Received: 0 - O - Filed: 29 2 R - Replied: 17 1 S - Sent: 13 1 Total: 228 13 Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 73 0 0 0 27 0 30 10 6 0 F - Forwarded: 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 23 0 0 0 17 0 4 1 1 0 R - Replied: 8 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 2 0 S - Sent: 9 0 0 0 3 0 1 3 2 0 Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 E-mail Event: Subtotal D - Deleted: 86 0 29 15 0 2 0 0 0 40 F - Forwarded: 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 M - Received: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - Filed: 6 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 R - Replied: 9 0 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 S - Sent: 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 Comments: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 298 Vita To date I have served the citizens of the United States of America for 28 years as a knowledge worker of the United States Department of Navy. I served six years active duty military in the United States Marine Corps and 22 years as a civilian with the United States Navy. I am proud to be an American and cherish the freedoms and liberties afforded me by this good fortune. I enjoy greatly contributing toward preserving these freedoms and liberties by applying my skills and abilities to achieve the mission of the Department of Navy. I attribute much of my success and good fortune to my strong belief and practice of the idea of continuous education and learning. Consequently, in the past 28 years I have been through military training and education, general academic education programs, and professional development opportunities. From these investments I have earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science form Old Dominion University, a Master of Science in Systems Management and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College, a Certificate in Information Strategy from the Information Resources Management College, and a Certificate in U.S. National Security Policy from Georgetown University. In addition, I will soon be a graduate of the Defense Leadership and Management Program, an executive development program for the United States Department of Defense. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America in the pursuit of peace and prosperity. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Etter, Richard W.
(author)
Core Title
Information overload: Exploring management of electronic mail
School
School of Policy, Planning and Development
Degree
Doctor of Public Administration
Degree Program
Public Administration
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
OAI-PMH Harvest,Political Science, public administration
Language
English
Contributor
Digitized by ProQuest
(provenance)
Advisor
von Winterfeldt, Detlof (
committee chair
), Langston, Marvin (
committee member
), Petak, William (
committee member
)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-634086
Unique identifier
UC11340108
Identifier
3116694.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-634086 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
3116694.pdf
Dmrecord
634086
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Etter, Richard W.
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA