Problem-Solving Case: Do Supervisors Need “Freedom” to Manage Their Time?

Information scientist Fred Stutzman noticed that whenever he went online, he was just a click or two away from a treasure trove of information, entertainment, and social connections. Just one little click, and he could find some tidbit that would be more engaging than whatever project he had sat at the computer to tackle. As he told a reporter recently, being on the Internet provides a “sense that at any point in time, you can dip into this stream.” Consequently, Stutzman, like other computer users, finds that he doesn’t give 100 percent of his attention to what he is supposedly doing at his computer.

So Stutzman used his computer expertise to create a new piece of software he named Freedom. Freedom basically provides a means of escape from online distractions by making it hard for computer users to go online when they have set aside time for other work. When a user launches Freedom, it asks how long it should disable the computer’s Internet access—any period of time within a range from one minute to eight hours. Next, it asks the user whether it should allow access to the local network, which might include printers or other computers to which the user is connected locally. After the user answers the questions and provides a password, Freedom delivers freedom from dis- tractions by shutting off connections as specified.

What if you try Freedom but then realize that your plan was a mistake because you need to look up critical information online or print a document a customer is waiting for? Freedom offers an out that is intentionally annoying: you have to reboot the computer (shut it down and restart it). The pro- cess is not complicated but is troublesome enough that users would bother with it only if they really need the local-network or Internet connection. Writer and radio show host Peter Sagal appreciates using Freedom as a way to stay focused when writ- ing books and screenplays. He relearned to work without distractions by setting Freedom first for short time periods and then gradually increasing the duration of the uninterrupted time day by day.

Supervisors might agree with Stutzman and Sagal that concentrating at the computer has become more difficult as the Internet has intro- duced more and more ways for users to distract themselves—social media, news feeds, funny or heartwarming videos, e-mail from customers and co-workers, and instant messages from colleagues, to name just a few. But is Freedom the best solu- tion for supervisors? Perhaps they would be better off to follow the advice of Linda Stone, an expert in the impact of computers on thinking. Stone says running software that makes us use comput- ers appropriately is only a first step toward what is the real and meaningful change: learning to control ourselves at our computers.

Questions -

Imagine you are a sales supervisor who works primarily in an office at headquarters, staying in touch with traveling sales representatives to coach them and oversee their performance. Why might you need Internet access? Would you need to have that access all day long, every minute of the day? Why or why not?

Continuing with the example in question 1, how do you think it would change your support of the sales reps if you used a program like Freedom to stay offline for an hour or two every day? How do you think it would change your ability to complete other kinds of work, such as writing reports, thinking of new ways to motivate workers, and planning for future goals and budgets?

Discuss your opinion of Linda Stone’s view that individuals should learn to police themselves online, rather than relying on software to help them manage their computer use. For a supervisor, is getting control over time by any means more important, or is learning self-control more important?