The Double‐Edged‐Sword Effect of Constant Connectivity on Work Performance: Roles of Perceived Value, Work–Life Balance, and Work–Family Conflict

Souad Djelassi, Mbaye Fall Diallo, Victoria‐Sophie Osburg and Isabelle Collin‐Lachaud

Journal of Management Studies, 2026, vol. 63, issue 6, 3003-3033

Abstract: Constant connectivity through smartphone use represents a major societal challenge, particularly in relation to work performance and work–nonwork boundaries. This research leverages an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, crisis settings, and a cross‐cultural approach (France and the United Kingdom) to specify the impacts of smartphone use on work performance and work–life interfaces, before and during the COVID‐19 crisis, among large samples of employees (NPilot = 229; N1 = 938; N2 = 1042). An empirical test of this integrative model shows that smartphone use influences work performance directly, work–life balance negatively mediates this relationship, and work–family conflict moderates it. It advances knowledge by considering both dimensions of work performance, generic task performance and adaptive performance, which is crucial for adapting to technologies and crises. This research also emphasizes the need to consider the context in which smartphone use affects work performance, notably in situations marked by high pressure, such as crises that become chronic. By introducing the marketing concept of perceived value as a mediator, this research shows that utilitarian value improves work performance while hedonic value decreases it, thus advancing the scholarly conversation and helping to manage constant connectivity.

Date: 2026
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