Information, Communications & Output: Does E-mail Make White-Collar Workers More Productive?

We report on a four-year investigation of how information flows affect whitecollar productivity. For this research, we developed software to track all e-mail activity within a midsize executive recruiting firm. We also negotiated access to three separate data sets including: (1) project level accounting measures o f revenues and completion rates, (2) surveys of individual perceptions of information technology and information sharing, and (3) direct observation of e-mail activity over a period of six months. We found a statistically significant relationship between the structure of a recruiter’s internal e-mail network and success at landing contracts. We also found success at executing contracts to be related to database proficiency and external e-mail sent. On the other hand, the results weakly suggest detrimental effects may come from over-reliance on email for team coordination. These results provide some of the first statistical evidence that information flows and use of information technology affect individual productivity at the desktop level. Taken together, they suggest ways in which the productivity effects of e-mail depend on the tasks for which it is used.