Diary Study of Disruption Experiences of Crew Members on a Jobsite

Abstract

The specific goal of the study reported in this paper was to derive an understanding of the types of workflow disruptions that trigger fast-improvised decisions and actions by a crew member and how disruptions affect a worker’s state of mind. A diary study technique was used to capture the thoughts, decisions, actions, and emotions of workers in situ—when they were working in their natural setting—at multiple points in time during the workweek. An analysis of the data revealed that a group-level positive correlation existed between experiencing a disruption and initiating a fast improvised decision and action. However, some workers tended to improvise frequently when disrupted, whereas others did not. The analyses also revealed that workers’ emotions fluctuated throughout the week and two emotional states—