Learning Objectives

Identifying the less effective methods of dealing with information overload.
Learning the concepts of delegation and time management to appropriately deal with information overload.

Introduction

As information input increase, our output and productivity increase—up to a point. That is, up to a point the more information we have, the better we are able to do the things we do on the job. But once we reach that point, we start to actually get too much information.

When information input is too great, breakdowns start to occur and tension builds within any individual. As this tension increases, errors in processing the information and message we are receiving begin to increase more and more. We overlook things, make mistakes, misinterpret messages, and so forth.

Information overload occurs whenever a person or system receives information or messages at a faster rate than they can be processed. As input increases, output also increases up to a point, but when input is too great, breakdown occurs. As tension within the individual builds, errors in processing information and messages increase.

There are a number of ways that human beings deal with information overload, two of which are reactive—reactive perceptual and reactive arbitrary methods—and one is proactive: reactive perceptual methods include leveling, assimilation, and queuing; reactive arbitrary methods include arbitrary rules and escape; proactive methods include chunking, filtering, and organizational filtering. This module will also explore delegating and managing time to better cope with overload.

1. Defining Information Overload

How We Cope With Overload

There are a number of ways that human beings deal with information overload,

two of which are reactive:

reactive perceptual,

reactive arbitrary methods

and one is proactive

Reactive Perceptual Methods include levelling, assimilation, and queuing. T

Levelling: dropping out information, some of which could be important.
Assimilation: making undetected errors, due to the perceptual processes of assimilation and closure, where the information is fit, non consciously, into a person’s frame of reference.
Queuing: information is ordered on a “first come, first served” basis, instead of being allowed to come through all at once. This is NOT a priority system.

Reactive Arbitrary Methods of dealing with information overload are behaviours that may decrease the tension at least momentarily, but do nothing about the overload or any possible errors. In fact the possibility of committing error will most likely increase. There is neither rhyme nor reason to these methods of coping with overload. They simply feel good at the time. We are avoiding the overload for the time being, but are probably setting ourselves up for worse problems in the future. Unless we are lucky enough that the overload goes away without any negative consequences, we are simply putting off the overload, rather than doing anything about it. Generally, we are not so lucky, though. When we finally face up to the overload, we find that it has not gone away; in fact it has often increased.

· Arbitrary Rules: using random or non-rational rules to select information, such as dealing only with full-page memos, or not looking at any memo that is on colored paper. We sometimes become a little silly or bizarre when we are confronted with too much overload. We start to do things, not because they make sense, but because we just can’t deal rationally with the overload.

· Escape: actually avoiding the overload—going to sleep, getting sick, drinking, using drugs, leaving the scene, etc. We simply can’t face the overload so we run away from it, either physically or psychologically—or both. It is not unusual for students to use escape when faced with a large number of examination and papers that are due at the end of the term. Instead of using the time to study, many will decide that it doesn’t seem worth it, so they go to the bar for a drink or two with friends and then just go to bed.

Proactive Methods of dealing with information overload are rational and effective behaviours that will decrease the tension and overload and, at the same time, decrease the possibility of errors. These are rational, sensible behaviours that will help us to best deal with the overload.

· Chunking: grouping things of the same type together, such as the way digits are grouped together in telephone numbers. By grouping information, we often find that we can deal with the entire group more efficiently than with each individual item in that group as there may be overlap and duplication of the individual items that we catch when we deal with the information in a grouped fashion.

· Filtering: selecting the highest priority information first and dealing only with important and pertinent information and messages. This means that some information and messages—those that are less important—will be ignored. Filtering is an important process and we should spend much of our time involved in this method of handling overload.

· Organizational Filtering: using the structure or hierarchy of an organization to screen information moving toward the boss (e.g., secretaries, etc.).

An important goal in dealing with information overload is to try to use the proactive methods for coping, rather than simply reacting to situation. Be aware of how much information you are receiving at any one time. If you feel overloaded with the messages that are bombarding you, try to think about whether chunking, filtering, or even using organizational filters—for example, asking someone to screen your calls or having an assistant clear your email of any Spam before you open your mailbox—might help to reduce the overload.

5. Delegating

Delegating tasks is an excellent way to cope with information overload. Delegating can reduce the number of tasks you do in any given period of time. Keeping in mind that overload occurs when we receive information at a faster rate than can be processed, then reducing the number of tasks we do means that we will be receiving less information in the same amount of time. Thus, we are reducing our overload.

Not only does it allow you to reduce the information overload you are feeling, but it also gives your employees an opportunity for growth, job development, and perhaps even career advancement. They can become skilled at and gain knowledge about how to perform tasks that they normally might not have the opportunity to learn.

To make the delegating process as effective as possible, you can facilitate it by utilizing the following tips:

Don’t delegate only those tasks that you don’t want to do. Do not delegate a job to an employee just because it is a task that you dislike and that you do not want to do. All jobs include some aspects that are dull and boring. Giving only those tasks to an employee will not help them learn and grow and might even make them resentful. While it is all right to delegate some of the tedious tasks to others, make sure that you also delegate tasks that will be more interesting, instructive, and informative. People will be much more willing to do monotonous tasks if they know that they will also have the opportunity to do interesting tasks as well.

Explain the importance of the task. Let you employees know why you are giving them a certain task or tasks. Even if it is only to tell that that you are overwhelmed at the moment and need some help.

Communicate clearly when delegating. Make sure that your instructions for getting the work done are clear. Ask for feedback and understanding. Keep in mind how messages can be distorted; use tips for minimizing distortion. Some people find it easier to understand written directions, while others find it easier to understand oral instruction. Give your instructions in both in writing and orally. Also remember that writing your instructions will not eliminate message distortion; it will only give you a record of what those instructions were. You want to make sure that employee succeed when you delegate tasks to them. You need to give them not only the information necessary to complete those tasks effectively, but you also need to make sure that they understand that information.

Share power with your employees. Make sure that you give your employees the ability to make decisions about the tasks you have delegated to them. Don’t give them tasks without the means to successfully accomplish those tasks. Let your employees make their own decisions about the best way to accomplish the tasks that have been delegated to them. You may feel that your way to do the job is the best, but

Have your employees check back once you have delegated a task. After you have given your employees new tasks, have them check back with you periodically to see how everything is going. Schedule specific times when you can discuss the delegated task with an employee. This way you can make sure that this is an opportunity for feedback, not a time that you can micromanage the job. Don’t constantly check up on them. This way your employees will see that you care about how they are using their own initiative to complete the task well, not attempting to tell them how to do the job.

Know your employees’ skills, abilities, and interests. It is best to give your employees tasks that they enjoy and can accomplish. Know where there interests lie so that they will be satisfied with doing tasks that you delegate to them. Know what they are good at so that you can help them succeed and not set them up for failure.

Allow sufficient time to complete the task. Make sure that there is enough time available to complete the task. Otherwise you are setting your employees up for failure which will make future delegation much more difficult, if not impossible.

Define responsibilities for your employees and make this information known to others. Although it is vital that you let your employees know that the responsibility for completing the task is theirs, you must also let other know who will be doing the task; make sure that other people in your organization know that you have delegated the authority.

Give your employees feedback about their performance. When you tell your employees how they are doing on tasks you have delegated to them; use effective feedback techniques: describe, don’t evaluate; be specific, not general; take into account their needs; check your feedback to see if they feel it is accurate; make sure the feedback is well times; direct your feedback only to behavior that they can change; and keep the feedback pure and focused.

Reinforce good performance. Let your employees know when they have done a good job. Tell them specifically what they have done well.

Make the delegation process a learning process. Ask employees what they have learned from completing the delegated task—what went well, what they would do differently, and what they would not do again.

Managing Time to Better Cope With Overload

One of the best ways to cope with information overload is by managing your time effectively. Information overload is not simply a matter of too much information, but of not having enough time to deal with the information and messages that are inundating you. We have looked at several effective ways to deal with the amount of information we receive, including the rational methods of coping with overload and delegating. Time management techniques can help us to deal with both the information and the time we need to deal with that information.

Effective time management involves setting goals and objectives, having an awareness of how I accomplish the work I normally do, and deciding what I will do—and will not do.

Take time to plan what you feel are the goals and objectives you want to achieve. Then schedule your time to accomplish the most important items that will help your achieve your goals and objectives.

There are several reasons why it is so important to establish goals and objectives. One is that we often equate activity with effectiveness. Just because someone is always busy does not mean that they are doing a good job. Activity, in and of itself, is not enough to be effective. Results are generally more important than the process of getting to the results. It sometimes feels very comfortable to do tasks because we can check them off of our to-do list. If the task does not help accomplish your goals and objectives, then it may simply be wasted effort. However, if the activity is directed toward achieving important goals and objectives, then it is productive activity. Aim to make your activity productive.

Once you have set your goals and objectives, then you can set priorities about how important any task is for you on your to-do list. In other words, do some filtering and decide how important each task is. Is it a high priority task that needs to be done right away? Is it a moderate priority task that can wait for a while? Is it a low priority tasks that you will only do if there is time available? If you have not dealt with a low priority task for a couple of weeks, you might want to ignore it. If it becomes important in the future, you will find out.

You can also use your goals and objectives to deal with the memos, letters, email messages, and other correspondence that you receive. Ask yourself: “Does this piece of information fit my goals and objectives?” If not, then throw it away or delete it. We have no problem deleting Spam email; we should have just as little problem getting rid of any other correspondence that doesn’t fit our goals and objectives.

If the correspondence does fit your goals and objectives, decide how important it is. Again, do some filtering and set priorities. Spend time only on correspondence that is of high priority.

Analyze your time. Look at both your work environment and your own way of doing things to get an idea of what it is that wastes your time. While it might seem contradictory, take some time to actually observe and note what you do and how long it takes you to do it.

Ask yourself what the time wasters are in your work environment. Is it meetings, interruptions, drop-in visitors, too much work, unclear task instructions, confusing—or lack of—goals and objectives, the telephone, email, or anything else that you observe?

Once you have identified your environmental time wasters, think about what you can do to minimize them.

In addition to identifying your environmental time wasters, also analyze your personal time wasters. Again, ask yourself what it is that you do that wastes time. Is it procrastination, not being well organized, attempting to do too much, the inability to say no, unnecessary correspondence, failure to delegate, overdoing routine tasks, failure to establish clear and achievable goals, not making the best use of employees, especially administrative aides and staff, or anything else you might observe? Once you have identified your personal time wasters, think about what you can do to minimize them.

One of the major time wasters for many people is procrastination. Here are some tips to overcome procrastination when it strikes.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. One of the reasons people procrastinate is that the want to do the job perfectly. Nobody is perfect and there is no perfect way to do a job. Everyone makes mistakes. We can use our mistakes to learn how to do the job better, rather than using our fear of making mistakes not to do the job at all.

Make to-do lists. Jot down the tasks you need to do every day and assign a priority for each of the tasks. Create deadlines—and rewards—for

Use the salami method. We sometimes procrastinate because we see the task as overwhelming. Time management expert, Ed Bliss, advises using the salami technique. The thought of eating a whole salami seems like a daunting task, but a small slice is quite appealing. Just as an entire salami would seem like too much to eat at one time, so too many tasks seem like to much to tackle at one time, so it is best to “slice” it into smaller, more manageable portions. Or to put it in another way as the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tze says: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Guidelines:

Glossary

Queuing: information is ordered on a “first come, first served” basis, instead of being allowed to come through all at once. This is not a priority

Chunking: grouping things of the same type together, such as the way digits are grouped together in telephone numbers. By grouping information, we often find that we can deal with the entire group more effectively than with each individual item in that group.

Organizational filtering: using the structure or hierarchy of an organization to screen information moving toward the boss (e.g., secretaries, etc.).

Assignment on Information Overload

Bibliography

Allen, David (2001) Getting Things Done, Viking Press.

Buckingham, Marcus (1999) First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Mangers Do Differently, Simon & Schuster, New York.

Whetten, David A., Cameron, Kim S. (2001) Developing Management Skills, Addison-Wesley Publishing

How communication works

Learning Objectives

Glossary