Increasing productivity and decreasing time limits: A field replication of Parkinson's law

Abstract

Attempted a field replication of J. F. Bryan and E. A. Locke's (see record 1967-15919-001 ) general version of Parkinson's Law (i.e., effort is adjusted to the difficulty of the task). The principle implies greater effort on a given task when time restrictions are placed on task completion than when there are no such restrictions. As predicted, members of logging crews (N = 379) showed a significantly higher rate of output when limited to mill deliveries on 1 or 2 days/wk than when no such buying restrictions were in effect. Since both owners and crew members were paid on a piece-rate basis, there was an incentive to maximize production early when restrictions were operative. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)