Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study

Volker Seiler; Fabian Josef Stangl; René Riedl

doi:10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study

Research Center Steyr

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

The modern workplace has been profoundly transformed by the widespread integration of digital technologies, fundamentally changing the way individuals conduct business and interact within their work environments. However, this digital transformation has also created a major problem relevant to both research and practice: the ubiquitous prevalence of work interruptions (e.g., receiving unexpected emails or instant messages while focused on a task). Against this background, we conducted a qualitative study to allow digital business professionals to describe their general perception and management of interruptions. As a result, we validate and refine a category system developed in a previous study on specific interruption types, quantify their outcomes on psychological well-being and work performance, and examine how they are handled, thus filling gaps in the existing literature on interruption perception and management. Overall, this category system can serve as a valuable foundation for future interruption science research.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4
Editors	Christoph M. Flath, Gunther Gust, Frédéric Thiesse, Axel Winkelmann
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer
Pages	303-320
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-032-08489-7
ISBN (Print)	978-3-032-08488-0
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21
Publication status	Published - 26 May 2026
Event	Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik - University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany Duration: 16 Sept 2024 → 19 Sept 2024 https://wi2024.de/

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation
Volume	85
ISSN (Print)	2195-4968
ISSN (Electronic)	2195-4976

Conference

Conference	Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik
Country/Territory	Germany
City	Würzburg
Period	16.09.2024 → 19.09.2024
Internet address	https://wi2024.de/

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Interruption Management
Interruption Perception
Interruption Science
Qualitative Research
Work Interruptions

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

Interruption - IT-Mediated Interruptions as Stressor
Riedl, R. (PI) & Stangl, F. J. (CoI)
Dissertationsprogramm der Fachhochschule OÖ
01.10.2022 → 31.01.2025
Project: Research Project

Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study
Stangl, F. J. (Speaker)
18 Sept 2024
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation

Cite this

Seiler, V., Stangl, F. J., & Riedl, R. (2026). Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study. In C. M. Flath, G. Gust, F. Thiesse, & A. Winkelmann (Eds.), Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4 (pp. 303-320). (Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation; Vol. 85). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

Seiler, Volker ; Stangl, Fabian Josef ; Riedl, René. / Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study. Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4. editor / Christoph M. Flath ; Gunther Gust ; Frédéric Thiesse ; Axel Winkelmann. Cham : Springer, 2026. pp. 303-320 (Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation).

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abstract = "The modern workplace has been profoundly transformed by the widespread integration of digital technologies, fundamentally changing the way individuals conduct business and interact within their work environments. However, this digital transformation has also created a major problem relevant to both research and practice: the ubiquitous prevalence of work interruptions (e.g., receiving unexpected emails or instant messages while focused on a task). Against this background, we conducted a qualitative study to allow digital business professionals to describe their general perception and management of interruptions. As a result, we validate and refine a category system developed in a previous study on specific interruption types, quantify their outcomes on psychological well-being and work performance, and examine how they are handled, thus filling gaps in the existing literature on interruption perception and management. Overall, this category system can serve as a valuable foundation for future interruption science research.",

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Seiler, V, Stangl, FJ & Riedl, R 2026, Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study. in CM Flath, G Gust, F Thiesse & A Winkelmann (eds), Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4. Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation, vol. 85, Springer, Cham, pp. 303-320, Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 16.09.2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study. / Seiler, Volker; Stangl, Fabian Josef ; Riedl, René.
Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4. ed. / Christoph M. Flath; Gunther Gust; Frédéric Thiesse; Axel Winkelmann. Cham: Springer, 2026. p. 303-320 (Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation; Vol. 85).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study

AU - Seiler, Volker

AU - Stangl, Fabian Josef

AU - Riedl, René

PY - 2026/5/26

Y1 - 2026/5/26

N2 - The modern workplace has been profoundly transformed by the widespread integration of digital technologies, fundamentally changing the way individuals conduct business and interact within their work environments. However, this digital transformation has also created a major problem relevant to both research and practice: the ubiquitous prevalence of work interruptions (e.g., receiving unexpected emails or instant messages while focused on a task). Against this background, we conducted a qualitative study to allow digital business professionals to describe their general perception and management of interruptions. As a result, we validate and refine a category system developed in a previous study on specific interruption types, quantify their outcomes on psychological well-being and work performance, and examine how they are handled, thus filling gaps in the existing literature on interruption perception and management. Overall, this category system can serve as a valuable foundation for future interruption science research.

AB - The modern workplace has been profoundly transformed by the widespread integration of digital technologies, fundamentally changing the way individuals conduct business and interact within their work environments. However, this digital transformation has also created a major problem relevant to both research and practice: the ubiquitous prevalence of work interruptions (e.g., receiving unexpected emails or instant messages while focused on a task). Against this background, we conducted a qualitative study to allow digital business professionals to describe their general perception and management of interruptions. As a result, we validate and refine a category system developed in a previous study on specific interruption types, quantify their outcomes on psychological well-being and work performance, and examine how they are handled, thus filling gaps in the existing literature on interruption perception and management. Overall, this category system can serve as a valuable foundation for future interruption science research.

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KW - Interruption Perception

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KW - Work Interruptions

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 978-3-032-08488-0

T3 - Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation

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A2 - Gust, Gunther

A2 - Thiesse, Frédéric

A2 - Winkelmann, Axel

PB - Springer

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T2 - Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik

Y2 - 16 September 2024 through 19 September 2024

ER -

Seiler V, Stangl FJ , Riedl R. Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study. In Flath CM, Gust G, Thiesse F, Winkelmann A, editors, Shaping the Digital Future Through Innovation and Practice: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Würzburg, Germany, 2024 - Vol. 4. Cham: Springer. 2026. p. 303-320. (Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation). doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-08489-7_21

Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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Projects

Interruption - IT-Mediated Interruptions as Stressor

Activities

Perception and Management of Work Interruptions Among Digital Business Professionals: An Updated Study

Cite this