How Does E-mail Use Affect Perceived Control of Time?

Abstract

It is well established in the psychology literature that personality predicts performance to some degree. However, personality neither solely nor directly predicts outcomes. Rather, performance and outcomes unfold through context-specific mediating constructs. This study identified two constructs that mediate the relationship between proactivity and perceived control of time in e-mail use and tested the model with data from 251 knowledge workers. The results show that proactivity predicts the perceived control of time in e-mail use through both e-mail-specific time management behavior and e-mail self-efficacy. Further, greater e-mail self-efficacy leads to improved e-mail-specific time management behavior.