Debunking the instant messaging myth?

•Overall, IM-ing does not significantly affect work performance.•Data appear to show IM-ers type faster to compensate for lost time due to IM-ing.•No significant difference in completion time to type a post-hoc character number.•No significant differences when examining cumulative effects of 18 IM exchanges.•Separation of work and personal IMs demonstrated no performance differences.

Instant messaging is a beneficial tool in the workplace that aids communication and decision-making, yet it’s widely accepted that productivity suffers due to frequent interruptions. Previous research conducted with surveys and atypical IM interactions support such claims; however, prior research demonstrated with a systematic study and behavioral measures that IM-ing is not detrimental to quality and timeliness of work. The current study expands the research literature by examining the effects of frequent IM-ing on productivity, quality of work, and time on-task in a laboratory setting. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and independent samples t-tests for group and IM type. Data demonstrated little performance differences between those who received IMs and those who did not. This research appears to suggest that IM-ing has some impact on overall task completion time but IM-ers productivity time was faster. Therefore, it may be more harmful to resort to the commonly held notion that all off-task behavior equates negative effects and unproductive employees. Future directions for researchers and managers are discussed.