Multitasking—doing two or more things at once, or rapidly switching from one task to another—is a characteristic of the millennial generation. One recent study revealed that during a typical week, 81 percent of young people report "media multitasking" at least some of the time.
Multitasking nicely illustrates our point that motivation is not just effort but also how you direct your efforts. However, is the direction of efforts in multitasking efficient or inefficient?
Many people who multitask say it makes them more efficient: "Why not do two things at once if I can accomplish about as much as if I only did one thing?" they ask. Research, however, suggests multitasking is inefficient, that it actually takes longer to do two things at once than to do one thing first and then turn to the other. David Meyer, a University of Michigan psychologist who has studied multitasking, argues, "You use the same sorts of mental and physical resources for performing each of the tasks. You’re having to switch back and forth between the two tasks as opposed to really doing them simultaneously."
Multitasking appears to result in adverse outcomes beyond inefficiency. Another study found multitaskers absorb material more superficially; they notice more things in their environment but are able to learn material less deeply. "It’s not that they can’t focus," says one researcher. "It’s that they focus on everything. They hear everything— even things they would normally be able to block out— because they are now so used to attending to many things at once." Other research suggests that while multitaskers have more friends, these friends are more likely to be superficial contacts who quickly fade away. One researcher says, "There’s a danger that having few long-term relationships is giving way to many superficial, fleeting relationships."
What could be different needs that individuals try to satisfy while they multitask at the workplace? Use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs or Alderfer’s ERG theory to support your answer.
2. The effects of multitasking have been found to be more negative when the tasks are complex. Why do you think this is the case? (Explain your answer using task characteristics or individual attributes or both)