More Communication ≠ More Productivity
Too many forms of communication touch points is costing productivity.
In This Article
Why workdays are getting longer — even when productivity isn’t improving
What research reveals about communication overload
How coordination overhead quietly drains capacity
Why more communication doesn’t create better output
What leaders can redesign to improve productivity
Why More Communication Doesn’t Automatically Improve Productivity
When productivity slips, most organizations respond the same way:
communicate more.
More meetings.
More messages.
More updates.
But recent research shows why that instinct backfires.
What the Data Shows
According to a large-scale analysis of knowledge workers by the National Bureau of Economic Research, workdays are getting longer — not because work is harder, but because communication is expanding.
Two findings stand out:
The average workday span increased by nearly 50 minutes — an 8% jump — measured from first to last meeting or email.
Email activity outside standard work hours increased, extending work into early mornings and evenings.
Work isn’t moving faster.
It’s stretching wider.
More Communication Creates More Coordination Overhead
The same research points to a broader pattern:
More meetings with more people
Shorter meetings stacked back-to-back
Less uninterrupted time to think or execute
Even when meetings are brief, they fragment attention. Calendar friction increases. Focus weakens.
This isn’t collaboration improving productivity.
It’s coordination overhead consuming capacity.
Why Teams Feel Busy but Productivity Feels Flat
Executives often say:
“We’re communicating constantly, but the return on our effort feels lower.”
That’s because communication has become a default response, not a designed one.
Time is spent:
aligning
clarifying
looping people in
Instead of deciding, building, or finishing.
Communication Is Not the Problem, Capacity Design Is
Productive teams don’t communicate less.
They communicate with intention.
They design communication around:
decisions, not discussion
outcomes, not updates
ownership, not broad visibility
When communication isn’t designed, it expands to fill the day.
The Shift Leaders Need to Make
More communication won’t fix productivity.
Better communication design will.
When leaders treat communication as a finite resource — not an unlimited tool — teams regain capacity, focus improves, and effort delivers a stronger return.
Because productivity doesn’t improve by talking more.
It improves when communication moves work forward.
Now What?
If communication is expanding but productivity isn’t improving, the issue likely isn’t effort, it’s capacity design.
This is the focus of my work with leadership teams: helping them rethink how communication, meetings, and decisions are structured so capacity is protected and effort delivers a stronger return.
If you’re noticing longer days, fuller calendars, and flatter output, exploring how your team communicates may be the highest-leverage place to start.
👉 Learn more about optimizing capacity in teams
👉 Explore Time Economics workshops for leadership teams
NBER Working Paper