Rhetorical or Genuine Slack Time? Temporal Attributes, Barriers, and Outcomes of Slack Time

This study examines the temporal attributes, barriers, and outcomes of slack time in R&D organizations. The study findings indicate that slack time has a waved occurrence, organically arising from downtimes in core work and uptimes in personal creativity. Endemic overcommitment of employees and high perceived opportunity costs prevent slack time from being used effectively in many organizations, resulting in merely rhetorical slack time. The findings suggest that genuine slack time requires formally allocating resources to pay for discretionary time and insulating employees from urgent demands. The study identifies three main outcomes of genuine slack time: (1) It diversifies creativity sources, leading to a spectrum of innovativeness and applications; (2) it increases employee motivation through autonomy and empowerment; and (3) it functions as a cultural lever signaling trust. The study contributes a nuanced conceptualization of slack time grounded in practitioner experiences and offers insights for managing slack time to foster innovation and employee engagement.

Heidi M.J. Bertels is an Associate Professor of Management at CUNY College of Staten Island and co-director of the Blackstone LaunchPad program. She holds a PhD in Technology Management and a BS and MA from the University of Antwerp.

Dr. Bertels focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation, with publications in top journals and recognition for her award-winning cases. She has presented at over 40 conferences and serves on academic boards. At CSI, she leads initiatives to develop entrepreneurial skills, supported by a grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. She has also received teaching awards from the University of Pittsburgh.