Investigating the role of mindfulness and implementation intentions in mitigating unintended negative consequences of information and communication Te

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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become a pervasive part of our day-to-dayworking lives. Their benefits, including unprecedented levels of connectedness and productivity, arewell understood. However, the same technology that is providing organizations and individuals withso much opportunity also comes with a 'dark side' that includes a body of unintended negativeconsequences (D'Arcy et al. 2014). Pirkkalainen & Salo (2016) have identified four 'dark side'phenomena: technostress, information overload, IT 'addiction' and IT anxiety. These phenomenathreaten to make individuals' relationship with workplace ICTs a toxic one that can have damagingconsequences both for individual well-being and organisational outcomes (e.g. Maier et al. 2017,Agogo & Hess 2018). This PhD will examine how these 'dark side' phenomena manifest for workingindividuals and explore the potential of mindfulness and implementation intentions as mitigationmechanisms.Although there is no universally agreed conceptualisation of mindfulness in the academic literature,most definitions agree that attention and awareness are at its heart (Ioannou, Papazafeiropoulou &Spanaki 2018). Perhaps one of the best known and widely used definitions is that of mindfulnesspioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994, p.4): "Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: onpurpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally.". The most frequently evidenced and citedbenefit of mindfulness is stress reduction in individuals (Ioannou, Papazafeiropoulou & Spanaki2018). While there is also limited research suggesting that it may help individuals mitigate theunintended negative consequences of technology use (e.g. Miller & Brannon 2017, Wolf, Pintner &Beck 2011), this area appears to be under-explored at present.Notably, Chatzisarantis and Hagger (2007) found that mindfulness can facilitate the translation ofintentions into actions, paralleling the approach of implementation intentions. Implementationintentions are if-then plans that link environmental cues with specific responses, strengthening thenormally weak link between intention and behaviour, thereby facilitating goal attainment (Gollwitzerand Sheeran 2006). The relationship between mindfulness and implementation intentions has yet to beexplored and it is possible that the two may operate in a similar way or may interact to increaseoverall effectiveness. For instance, mindful awareness may aid mechanisms by which implementationintentions work, such as creating and strengthening implicit associations; and implementationintentions could be developed specifically to support intentions to be mindful in particularcircumstances.Commencing with a diary methodology with a sample of individuals currently in the workplace, thePhD will explore the predictions that:1. Individuals who are higher in mindfulness are less likely to experience the unintendednegative consequences of work-related use of ICTs.2. Developing mindfulness can support individuals' coping ability and self-regulation in relationto work-related use of ICTs, thereby helping mitigate unintended negative consequences.3. Mindfulness and implementation intentions can work synergistically to help individuals usingICT for work to mitigate any unintended negative consequences.The proposed research aims to advance academic understanding of the unintended consequences ofwork-related ICT use, the ways in which mindfulness and implementation intentions operate, andtheir potential as mitigation mechanisms. Practically, the research findings will produce a template forbehaviour interventions to reduce negative impacts of work-related ICT use. It will also provideguidelines on how organisations can support the reduction of technostress, information overload, IT'addiction' and IT anxiety among workers.