The science of deadlines.
Deadlines help set expectations and coordinate complex activities, whether it’s submitting a project report, submitting an academic assignment, or launching a new product.
We’ve all experienced the stress of a looming deadline and the guilt of missing it.
But beyond personal anxiety, what are the real impacts of missing a deadline?
How does it affect integrity, competence, and the overall quality of the work?
A study conducted at Stanford University (SU) in the US took a scientific look at what happens as a result of missing deadlines.
The high price of missing a deadline
Imagine three office workers: Sato, Suzuki, and Yamada.
They are told to complete the same report by noon.
Sato-san submitted his work the day before, Suzuki-san did it that morning, and Yamada-san submitted it in the evening.
Despite providing the same quality, their contributions are perceived differently by their superiors.
Her boss frowns on Yamada’s late submission and questions the quality of her work.
The quality of work of all three is equally good.
This scenario reflects the findings of recent studies involving thousands of participants across a range of studies.
The results show that missing a deadline has a negative impact on the evaluation of both the worker and the submitted work.
When someone submits work late, the evaluator often perceives the person as less honest and competent.
This is because trust within an organization depends primarily on two key factors: competence and integrity.
Competence refers to the ability to perform tasks effectively, while integrity includes adherence to ethical principles and trustworthiness.
Missing a deadline can negatively impact both of these perceptions.
When it comes to ability, it not only suggests poor time management, but also raises the possibility that the individual may not have the ability to carry out the work assigned to them.
From an integrity perspective, failing to keep promises calls into question reliability and honesty.
Research has shown that missing deadlines can set off a chain of events that first lead to a decline in honesty and trustworthiness, which in turn leads to doubts about your ability to get the job done, and finally leads to a significant decrease in the evaluation of the work you do.
(※The process goes like this: Missing a deadline → Loss of trust → Doubt about your ability → Low evaluation of the quality of your work.)
In the workplace, these perceptions can have a cascading effect, affecting opportunities for collaboration, promotions, and new projects.
So why not just get the job done faster?
Interestingly, the study also reveals that turning in work earlier does not necessarily increase perceptions of competence or work quality.
Evaluators may assume that less time and effort has been invested, offsetting any positive impressions from early submissions.
This asymmetry suggests that delays are punished, but earlyness is not particularly rewarded.
This may be due to the “effort heuristic.”
People equate the amount of time spent on a task with its quality.
If a task is completed quickly, it may be perceived as not thorough or thoughtful.
Thus, submitting work early does not significantly increase your grade, highlighting a potential bias in assessing timeliness.
The figure below shows the evaluations of assignments given before and after the submission deadline, as revealed by this study.
doubts about competence, integrity, and quality of work due to missing deadlines also occur in peer relationships.
If you are in danger of missing a deadline for an existing job, you should make the effort to do whatever it takes to finish it on time.
However, what is important to note here is that a low quality rating due to exceeding the deadline is, in a sense, an illusion.
The concept of a deadline causes people to bias their judgments across even the same quality of work.
And these cognitive distortions can sometimes have negative consequences.
The “best-selling author” who always runs away on deadline day
Despite the negative aspects associated with missing a deadline, there are also positive aspects to consider.
Some studies suggest that people who miss deadlines may produce more creative, higher-quality work.
The additional time allows for deeper thinking, exploration of ideas, and refining the final product.
In environments where innovation is key, strict enforcement of deadlines may stifle creativity .
For example, creative professions like authors, writers, designers and researchers often require flexibility to produce their best work.
Tight deadlines may force them to settle for less innovative work due to time constraints.
The most extreme example would be a best-selling author who always loses contact with editors on deadline day.
Missing deadlines can call into question an individual’s integrity and competence, and publishers may well stop giving such individuals new work.
But in reality, the works of best-selling authors sell like hotcakes.
(*A certain person who was the director and screenwriter of a Japanese anime movie that was recently released on Netflix and caused a big stir was said to “disappear” on deadline day, as if to escape from his editor.)
This anecdote should serve as an example of the fact that missing deadlines results in poorer quality work.
Furthermore, deadlines can sometimes reduce the quality of work.
Rushing to meet a deadline can lead to mistakes, oversights, and superficial results.
Conversely, being more flexible, such as setting a false deadline followed by a real deadline, can lead to better results.
This highlights the need to determine which deadlines are critical and which ones can be accommodated with some flexibility.
The perfect excuse for being late
Just because you missed a deadline doesn’t mean everything is the same.
The reason why you missed the deadline will also have a big impact.
If the delay is caused by external factors outside your control, for example an unexpected emergency or technical issues, your assessor will be lenient.
(Note: This is lenient, but there is still a risk that the quality of your work will be evaluated poorly.)
For example, “A major earthquake occurred and the PC containing my work was destroyed,” or “Robbers broke into my house and I was forced to prioritize protecting my family over my work.”
On the other hand , don’t use excuses like “I overslept,” “I misunderstood the deadline,” or ” I was late because I was being creative .”
(※The third one in particular leaves a bad impression.)
These findings suggest that a more flexible approach can be taken, recognising that not all delays are harmful and can sometimes enhance creativity and quality.
Balancing the need for timely submissions with the reality of complex tasks and human limitations can help individuals and organizations navigate deadline dilemmas more effectively.