The time famine: Toward a sociology of work time

This paper describes a qualitative study of how people use their time at wo rk, why they use it this way, and whether their way of using time is optima l for them or their work groups. Results of a nine-month field study of the work practices of a software engineering team revealed that the group's co llective use of time perpetuated its members' "time famine," a feeling of h aving too much to do and not enough time to do it. Engineers had difficulty getting their individual work done because they were constantly interrupte d by others. A crisis mentality and a reward system based on individual her oics perpetuated this disruptive way of interacting. Altering the way softw are engineers used their time at work, however, enhanced their collective p roductivity. This research points toward a "sociology of work time," a fram ework integrating individuals' interdependent work patterns and the larger social and temporal contexts. The theoretical and practical implications of a sociology of work time are explored.*