In the New York Times, Professor Christine Pearson wrote an interesting article about texting, rudeness, and multi-tasking. Some highlights:
"...neuroscientists tell us that dividing our attention between competing stimuli instead of handling tasks one at a time actually makes us less efficient. Still, the illusion that multitasking can aid productivity is powerful. And it’s abetted by the fact that splitting our attention between real and virtual worlds can produce a kind of neural intoxication, research shows."
Do you get annoyed when your friends or colleagues text or check messages while you're talking to them? Pearson says, "when people disappear from formal or informal meetings via their electronic devices, their colleagues interpret it this way: 'You are less important to me than my cellphone/P.D.A./laptop/latest gizmo.'" By the way, she says when she asks people who attend her lectures how many people find this rude, almost all of them say yes. When she asks how many do it themselves, about 2/3 admit guilt.
No big deal? Beware: "In my research, I’ve learned that when employees behave in an uncivil way, their colleagues may take retribution. They might withhold information — for example, by 'forgetting' to include the offender’s name on a final product. Or they might see to it that he or she ends up with a less desirable task next time. Or they might even refuse to work with the person again."
She has two tips:
* Keep your own use of electronic devices at a minimum when interacting with others. If you have an urgent need to use one, let others know. * If you are on the receiving end of an electronic disappearing act and want face-to-face attention, politely ask for it.
Amen.
(There are lots of tips on how to be more productive without being rude, in the free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. To subscribe, just send an email to [email protected].)
