Towards the chronometric study of organizations

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Towards the chronometric study of organizations

• Robert A. Roe
• Maastricht University
• Symposium Its about time - Maastricht, June
  7-8, 2006

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A skeptical position

• The lack of temporal research in the past
  confronts us with a great problem today.
• Much of what we know
• is no true
• does not work
• Therefore, there is an urgent need to act.
• This seems to apply to both positivist and
  interpretative research on organizations

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Obstacles

• Of all obstacles to temporal research, conceptual
  obstacles are in my view - the greatest.
• Our way of thinking is hostile to temporal
  research.
• We have difficulty choosing the proper lens
• We see either too little or too much
• We see what is, not what happens

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Which lens?

• There seem to be two types
• Experienced time (event, social time)
• Measured (linear, clock-and-calendar time)
• We seem unable to agree about which lens to use.
• A confusing debate about the better approach
  stops us from moving forward.

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Debate

• A common position is that linear clock time has
  dominated managers and researchers thinking,
  that it is wrong and/or limited, and that it
  shall be replaced and/or supplemented by
  non-linear event time(s).
• As the debate roots in diverging ideas about
  epistemology (positivism vs. interpretivism) it
  is not easily resolved.
• I propose to stop arguing, use both lenses, and
  accept a division of labor between researchers
  with diverging beliefs / preferences.

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How to use lenses?

• The two lenses can be used in a reflexive and
  recursive manner

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Lenses as tools

• Temporal lenses are research tools !
• Thus, experienced and measured time of
  researchers are distinct from those used by
  organizational actors.

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Lenses as tools

• Temporal lenses are research tools !
• Thus, experienced and measured time of
  researchers are distinct from those used by
  organizational actors.

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Lenses as tools

• Temporal lenses are research tools !
• Thus, experienced and measured time of
  researchers are distinct from those used by
  organizational actors.

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Too much or too little

• After many studies have ignored time, there is
  now a tendency to highlight time.
• But an explicit focus on time forces the content
  of what happens easily into the background.
• There is a risk of a
• figure-ground reversal.

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What is, not what happens

• Also, we suffer from a general tendency to think
  in terms of what is, rather than what happens.
• We tend to study time in terms of variables just
  as timeless researchers have done with regard to
  content.
• Repeated measurement of variables (as in
  longitudinal research) is a poor tool to study
  processes.
• Photographs dont make a movie
• and samples dont make a sonata

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• Imagine what impression longitudinal research
  would give us of Beethovens Pathétique

if we would only sample three moments
in comparison with hearing the whole piece
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Lets think about what happens

• I propose to think - and keep thinking - about
  what happens.
• To this purpose I suggest to
• Use verbs rather than nouns.
• Conceptualize in terms of phenomena, rather than
  variables.

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Chronometric research

• I believe chronometric research deserves special
  emphasis since temporality has been neglected by
  both positivist and interpretivist researchers.
• Strategy
• Temporal features
• Temporal relations
• Temporal generality

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Temporal relations

• Temporal relations can be studied in a systematic
  way.
• Given our lack of knowledge it is almost
  inevitable to start with inductive research.

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Organizational phenomena

• Studying phenomena in which time is salient (time
  perspective, time focus, polychronicity, etc.) is
  fine, but there is more to learn from phenomena
  in which time is just implied.
• Let us not stick to subjective phenomena but also
  consider objective phenomena, and their temporal
  inter-relationships (especially across levels).

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Organizational phenomena
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Interesting relationships
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Thank you
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Experienced Time Duration
Experienced time
slowing down
speeding up
Measured time
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Experienced time Cycles
Experienced time
act A
Measured time
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Experienced time Duration of waiting
Experienced time
slow waiting
fast waiting
Measured time
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Experienced time Past, Present, Future
Experienced time
anticipation
flash back
Measured time