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Benefits July 24, 2003
Questions Eat Into Productivity: Study
July 24, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Who, what, when,
why, where and how are not just questions that need answering
in every story, they are also large speed bumps on the road
to office productivity.
Reported by Eric Hazard
Nearly a third of the typical workweek (32%) is spent responding to coworker questions, according to a study by Collaborative Strategies LLC, commissioned by Mountain View, California-based ePeople.
And while the survey, sponsored by a firm that provides knowledge management systems, notes that more than half (54%) of the questions asked have never been answered before, or documented in a knowledge base, that would suggest that nearly half (the other (46%) are questions that HAVE been asked – and presumably answered – previously.
However, when a question or situation arises that does not have a known solution, that usually sends workers to any number of sources – not always the best, and perhaps not even the most consistent (or accurate) source – notwithstanding the impact of the interuption on workplace productivity.
Not too surprisingly, nearly all (88%) of the 157 survey respondents report that their company relies on informal processes to get their questions answered, although a comparable 81% say that the ability to identify expertise and share knowledge is important to the company.