Pardon the Interruption: An Integrative Review and Future Research Agenda for Research on Work Interruptions

Abstract

Work interruptions are ubiquitous in today’s workplaces as a result of the proliferation of technology and a growing emphasis on collaboration and open workspaces. Although a large body of research on interruptions has accumulated over the last two decades, this research is scattered across disciplines with little integration. While this fragmentation indicates the complex nature of interruptions, it has also led to inconsistencies in how interruptions are defined and studied. Such differences reduce generalizability of results, lead to conflicting findings, and hinder knowledge development. We present here an integrative review of prior research on work interruptions based on an analysis of 247 publications. As part of the review, we examine prior definitions of interruption and advance a new integrative definition that can anchor a range of future research. We also discuss and summarize the assumptions and implications of the different investigative approaches used to study interruptions. An awareness of these approaches can help scholars better align their theory and investigative approach to adequately capture constructs/relationships of interest. We then synthesize theory and research, across disciplines, to present a process-based model that comprehensively captures our current understanding of how, when, and why work interruptions affect employees in different ways. Lastly, we highlight several avenues in need of more research attention and provide recommendations on how to advance the work interruption literature ahead meaningfully. Our review can act as an important reference for scholars new to interruption research, as well as for established interruption researchers looking to move their research in new directions.

It's a Matter of Time: The Role of Temporal Perceptions in Emotional Experiences of Work Interruptions

“…For instance, Leroy found that people struggle to resume their original tasks due to "attention residue" (2009, p. 169), or "the persistence of cognitive activity about a Task A even though one stopped working on Task A and currently performs a Task B". However, given that positive and negative emotions influence cognition and behavior in divergent ways (see Elfenbein, 2007), our study suggests that varying emotions may help account for differing performance outcomes (see also Puranik et al, 2019).…”

“…In this article, we take an episodic approach (Puranik et al, 2019) to studying emotional experiences of work interruptions. In line with AET (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996), we conceptualize interruptions as discrete workplace events that generate fleeting emotions.…”

“…Work interruptions are events that involve an individual suspending a primary task (Puranik et al, 2019). Many work interruptions stem from interactions with others: one party-an interrupter-takes action that causes another party-an interruptee-to turn attention away from a current activity (Addas & Pinsonneault, 2018;Gonzalez & Mark, 2004;Jett & George, 2003).…”

“…While prior studies of work interruption events emphasize negative emotional effects (Puranik et al, 2019), related research-on the aggregated effects of interruptions and on work-family conflict-hint at the possibility that discrete work interruptions might, in some cases, spark positive feelings. First, in an aggregated, day-level study (Sonnentag et al, 2018), individuals reported positive feelings in the evening if they felt a sense of accomplishment after addressing work interruptions earlier in the day.…”

“…Our findings make several important contributions. First, responding to calls to explore the "bright side" of interruptions (Puranik et al, 2019), we show that being disrupted at work can generate positive emotions. Second, by revealing that temporal perceptions help distinguish positive from negative interruption experiences, we inject greater subjective temporality into theories of interruptions.…”