Perspectives on time and the chronometric study of what happens in organizations

An often made distinction in the study of time in organizations is that between objective,linear, homogeneous, linear, measurable, Newtonian time, also called Chronos, andsubjective, non-linear, heterogeneous, experienced, event time, also designated as Kairos.These conceptions of time are associated with the positivistic and the interpretativeapproaches to organizational research. Are these conceptions of time incompatible? Andare there two mutually exclusive ways of gaining scholarly knowledge about time inorganizations? This paper proposes that the two notions of time can be meaningfullycombined by accepting the possibility of mutual ‘reflection’, that is, the interpretation ofmeasured time, and the measurement of interpreted time. By adding the postulate of‘recursivity’, which entails reflection at successive (higher order) levels, a broad range ofoptions for inquiry into the temporality of organizational phenomena unfolds, that allowsfor the use of chronometric as well as interpretative methods. It is noted that prevailingpositivistic and interpretative approaches have both lead to a dramatic neglect ofmeasured time in organizational research. Therefore, the remainder of this paper focuseson the chronometric study of organizations. It proposes a research agenda which coverstemporal phenomena at multiple analytical levels, including those of the individual, thegroup and the organization as a whole. Since objective as well as subjective definitions ofphenomena are considered, the scope of this chronometric approach and its descriptiveand explanatory potential appear to be substantial.Economics ;

Outsourcing and Organizational Change, An employee perspective

Outsourcing seems to have become the new trend in organizational strategy. In outsourcing, part of the organization’s production or service process is discontinued and transferred to another party, along with personnel and other resources. Although the potential economic benefits of outsourcing are thought to be considerable, a growing number of evaluation studies show disappointing outcomes. Cost savings tend to be less than expected and quality sometimes declines. A reason for these outcomes may be that - just like with downsizing and mergers-acquisitions in earlier days - managers tend to focus almost exclusively on economic aspects, ignoring the human and social impacts. Morespecifically, one might explain unsatisfactory economic results from a failure to consider the change implications of outsourcing. This paper analyzes the nature of the organizational change implied in outsourcing, comparing it to mergersacquisitions and downsizing. Next, it identifies some critical aspects of the transition management process which, when dealt with effectively, may enhance the success of outsourcing. The theoretical analysis is contrasted with findings from an empirical study on outsourcing in the Netherlands. In interviews with 11 experts and 10 workers on three phases of outsourcing, 70 aspects of(un)successful transition management were identified. Next, 36 employees involved in outsourcing rated the importance of these aspects and indicated their presence during the outsourcing process. Discrepancy ratings, showing which aspects of transition management received insufficient attention, confirm the results of the theoretical analysis. This underlines the importance of organizational change when implementing outsourcing.Economics ;

Studying time in organizational behavior

This article builds on the call of various authors (e.g. George & Jones, 2000; Mitchell & James,2001; Rousseau & Fried, 2001) for a better representation of time in theory-building andresearch in organizational behavior (OB). It proposes a radical temporalist approach to the study of OB which combines a new way of conceptualizing and formulating research questions with an alternative methodology for empirical research. Abandoning the static notion of ‘variable’ the focus is placed on inherently dynamic ‘temporal phenomena’. On the basis of a generic model which assumes phenomena to be temporally bounded, an analytical scheme is proposed which relates the onset, duration and dynamics of henomenon A to those of phenomenon B. In this way, nine prototypical problem types are defined, all of which center around time. A research strategy is proposed which involves three major steps, i.e. (1) temporal modeling of OB phenomena, (2) the investigation of temporal relationships, and (3) the assessment of constancy and variety over longer time periods. After discussing some general methodological issues (related to time scale, time frame, time grid, observation/recording, and measurement) a number of methods for performing these three types of research are reviewed. They include: descriptive modeling, random coefficient modeling, latent growth modeling, event history analysis, time series analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. Finally, limitations of theradical temporalist approach and future challenges are discussed.Economics ;

Conflict, Trust, and Effectiveness in Teams Performing Complex Tasks: A Study of Temporal Patterns

In this study we analyze the evolution of intra-team conflict and trust in teams that perform complex tasks. Using a longitudinal research design with six time intervals over a period of ten months, we collected data on 41 teams. Our findings suggest the existence of two distinct temporal patterns. One pattern develops in a stable manner and is characterized by high levels of trust and relatively low levels of task and relationship conflict. The other pattern is unstable with low, deteriorating levels of trust and high, amplifying levels of task and relationship conflict. These patterns are associated with significant differences in team effectiveness. On a self-perception as well as a stakeholder measure of team effectiveness, teams with stable patterns outperformed teams with unstable patterns.management and organization theory ;