Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• maryam akhavan ¹
• shima yazdani ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration< Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

² Master of Public Administration, Department of Public Administration< Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: Cyberloafing refers to employees’ unrelated use of the Internet during work hours, which can have significant negative consequences for organizations. Studies show that between 30 and 50 percent of employees use the Internet for personal activities during the day, which leads to reduced productivity, wasted resources, and financial costs. The main objective of this research was to comprehensively identify the factors affecting this phenomenon and prioritize them in order to provide effective management solutions.
Design/ methodology/ approach: This study was conducted with a mixed approach (qualitative-quantitative) and in three main stages. In the qualitative stage, potential factors were first identified by systematic review of the literature on the subject. Then, supplementary factors were extracted through semi-structured interviews with 10 academic and organizational experts (until theoretical saturation was reached). In the quantitative stage, a questionnaire with 48 items (reverse half) was designed and distributed among 100 employees of an organization. After eliminating 10 inappropriate items in exploratory factor analysis, the data were analyzed using SMART PLS software (due to non-normality of the data). Finally, the final prioritization of the factors was performed using the ANP method and SuperDecision software.
Research Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of four main categories of factors, which, in order of priority, are:

Individual factors (weighted 0.303): including poor time management (0.845), personality traits such as neuroticism (0.783) and extraversion (0.778), level of self-control (0.773), and job motivation (0.772).
Group factors (weighted 0.242): such as interpersonal conflicts, group culture, and anti-civil behavior.
Situational factors (weighted 0.233): including role ambiguity, work pressure, and task structure.
Organizational factors (weighted 0.222): such as Internet usage policies (0.801), organizational justice, and managerial support.

Interestingly, some new factors such as "second online job" and "surplus human resources" were also identified in the interviews, which had received less attention in previous literature.
Limitations & Consequences: Although this research used a comprehensive methodology, limitations such as focusing on a specific organization, limited sample size, and using a self-report method to collect data may have affected the generalizability of the results. Also, cultural differences between different organizations can affect the extent of the influence of the factors.
Practical Consequences: The findings of this study can be a valuable basis for organizational managers:
- Designing training programs to improve employee time management and self-control
- Formulating transparent Internet use policies
- Creating intelligent monitoring systems (not punishment-based)
- Improving job design and reducing role ambiguity
- Strengthening organizational culture and interpersonal relationships
Innovation or value of the Article: The most important innovation of this study is the combination of advanced factor analysis methods with multi-criteria decision-making (ANP) techniques for prioritizing factors. Also, identifying new factors such as "second online job" has added to the richness of the literature on the subject. This study not only provides a comprehensive theoretical framework, but also designs operational solutions for organizations with an applied approach.
Paper Type: Original Paper

Keywords

• Internet Evasion
• Cyberloafing
• Organizational Productivity
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis
• Analytic Network Process (ANP)
• Human Resource Management