1.
When Technology meets Human Nature in
Organizations:
A theoretical model with
driver- texting as exemplar
Clara Rispler¹, Tsippy Lotan², Gil Luria¹
1Haifa University
2 Ran Naor Institute
International Conference on Traffic and Transport Psychology
Brisbane, Australia, 2-5 August 2016

2.
Smartphones have changed not just
how we live and play,
but also how and where we work

3.
Increasing penetration and use
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

4.
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016
Constant & Ongoing digital connectivity

5.
Decreased quality of interactions
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

6.
Addictive…
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

7.
Blurred
boundaries
between work
and non-work
domains
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

8.
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University
Merging real and virtual worlds

9.
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University
Digital era Cell-Phone Use While Driving
(CPUWD) will not stop by itself

10.
Despite the fact this form of driver distraction is
clearly illegal and dangerous- drivers persist!
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

11.
Organizations canplay a vital role in
improving road safety (e.g.
Wallington et al., 2014).
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

12.
GOAL
• Develop a model integrating personal and situational
factors that influence road-safety behavior in
organizational settings
• Texting-while-driving as a major distraction is the
exemplar.
• Naturalistic setting: observation and recording (with
minimal interference) of the texting behavior over a
prolonged period in its natural setting.
• Demonstrate how a newly developed technology can
help solve problems (i.e. driver distractions) caused by
technology itself “if we can’t beat them join them”.
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016

13.
Leading to our hypothesis
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University
• Employees' perceptions of their supervisors’
commitment to & prioritization of safety
(Group road-safety climate) influences their
safety behavior (Luria, 2008, 2010).
• Employees with high quality relationship with
their managers (LMX) make more effort and
work harder (Graen 1976, Liden & Maslyn
1998).

14.
Leading to our Hypothesis
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University
• Safety knowledge, Is a key antecedent to
safety performance (i.e. Burke et al., 2002).
• Drivers’ decisions and behaviour depend
strongly on their level of safety motivation
(i.e. Pöysti et al., 2005;Christian et al., 2009;
Neal & Griffin, 2006)

15.
Hypothesis
• Employees’ safety motivation and safety
knowledge will mediate the relationship
between road-safety climate and texting*
while driving
• Mediation boundary conditions:
1. Quality of the manager-employee relationship
2. Cellphone attachment.
*Dependent variable , as captured real time, by the new
technology.
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016

16.
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

17.
Methods - Sample
• Drivers using an android based smartphone
• Current status: 110 employees from 5
organizations. Goal: 300 employees
• Data will be collected at the individual level
and analyzed at the individual and group
level.
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016

18.
Methods- Tools:
– Automatic activation following detection of
vehicle movement.
– Disabled alerts of incoming message (not the
phone’s audio system.)
– Text message to sender (“am driving”).
– Data collection/tracking Server
– Monitoring reports
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016
• Existing ratified scales compile questionnaire
• Smartphone application adapted for the study:

19.
1. Questionnaire (start and end)
2. Application downloaded to
smartphones
3. Texting while driving is monitored
(number of clicks per minute) and sent
to study server.
4. Feedback sent to the whole group on
performance
Procedure

20.
Results - Preliminary Findings (Org. 1)
Clicks per minute while driving
feedback given
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016
* Holiday period 23 April – 13 May

21.
Results - Preliminary Findings(Org. 2)
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016
2/5 19/5 20/6
Clicks per minute while driving
feedback given

22.
Conclusions
• Established a user friendly tracking capability of
naturalistic texting behavior while driving.
• Study Intervention seems to have an effect in
decreasing the trend of clicks per minute while
driving
• More involvement needed from management
and organization at large to modify the behavior
of texting while driving
• Additional data must be collected as scheduled
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

23.
Research Implications
• Increase understanding of the implications of
new behaviours, such as smartphone
dependency on road safety.
• Testing a moderated mediation model of how
organizational practices can influence
employee usage of technology.
• Practical contribution to safety research by
demonstrating how new technology can be
used to reduce texting while driving.
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016

24.
clararispler5510@gmail.com
Clara Rispler, Haifa UniversityAUGUST 3rd, 2016

25.
Back up
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University

26.
Results – status to date
April 2014 – Feb 2016: Development phase
–Vendor selection process
–Technology enhancement per specifications
–Feasibility tool testing
–Online Survey Development and testing
–Participating organizations recruitment
–Funding secured (ISF grant, Ran-Naor)
March 2016 – Current: data collection
AUGUST 3rd, 2016 Clara Rispler, Haifa University