Abstract
Knowledge workers switch between applications thousands of times a day, spending nearly a tenth of their work year transitioning between digital applications in a process known as digital fragmentation. Whether this fragmentation reflects an employee's identity, work environment, or daily mood remains an open question. We analyzed 103 million application events recorded second-by-second from 1,017 employees across eight organizations that primarily employ knowledge workers (e.g., law, financial services).
Day-to-day variation in fragmentation within individual employees accounted for 44.6% of the variation in digital fragmentation, slightly exceeding stable individual differences between employees (35.8%), and far exceeding variation between organizations (19.6%). Fragmentation increased throughout the work week and reset after weekends and holidays. Higher-than-typical use of communication applications coincided with more fragmented work. Generative AI use also occurred on more fragmented days, but the period following AI use was marked by narrower, longer, and more predictable application use. These findings identify the workday as a key level for understanding and intervening on digital fragmentation and suggest that AI may help structure fragmented work rather than merely intensifying it.
Blogger's Review: This study reveals the impact of digital fragmentation on knowledge workers and highlights the potential of generative AI in optimizing workflows. By understanding the dynamics of fragmentation, organizations can better leverage AI tools to enhance efficiency and reduce wasted time.