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Time to Change: Temporal Shifts as Enablers of Organizational Change

Author

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  • Nancy Staudenmayer

    (Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708)

  • Marcie Tyre

    (Brandeis University, Women's Studies Research Center, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110)

  • Leslie Perlow

    (Harvard Business School, Soldiers Field, Boston, Massachusetts 02163)

Abstract

In this paper, we integrate findings from three field studies of technology intensive organizations to explore the process through which change occurred. In each case, problems were well recognized but had become entrenched and had failed to generate change. Across the three sites, organizational change occurred only after some event altered the accustomed daily rhythms of work, and thus changed the way people experienced time. This finding suggests that temporal shifts—changes in a collective's experience of time—can help to facilitate organizational change. Specifically, we suggest that temporal shifts enable change in four ways: (1) by creating a trigger for change, (2) by providing resources needed for change, (3) by acting as a coordinating mechanism, and (4) by serving as a credible symbol of the need to change.

Suggested Citation

  • Nancy Staudenmayer & Marcie Tyre & Leslie Perlow, 2002. "Time to Change: Temporal Shifts as Enablers of Organizational Change," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(5), pages 583-597, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:13:y:2002:i:5:p:583-597
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.13.5.583.7813
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. Sharma, Supriya, 2012. "Organizational Transformation in India: Developing a Typology," IIMA Working Papers WP2012-11-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
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    14. Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt & Susanna Khavul & David A. Harrison & Jeffrey E. McGee, 2014. "Adaptation to Temporal Shocks: Influences of Strategic Interpretation and Spatial Distance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(6), pages 869-897, September.
    15. Gerardo A. Okhuysen & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2002. "Integrating Knowledge in Groups: How Formal Interventions Enable Flexibility," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 370-386, August.
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    17. Fuentelsaz, Lucio & Gómez, Jaime & Palomas, Sergio, 2009. "The effects of new technologies on productivity: An intrafirm diffusion-based assessment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 1172-1180, September.
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