Perceived productivity and the social rules for laptop use in work meetings

Abstract

People multitask with laptops in organizational meetings and this may impact a team's productivity and group dynamics. This paper discusses the results from fieldwork at a Fortune 500 software development company and survey data from a sample of 40 information workers across the United States on the topic of technological multitasking in group meetings. Preliminary results suggest that there is a perceived loss of productivity when using laptops during meetings and that the type of meeting is the strongest determinant for when technological multitasking occurs.