Eigenzeit: A New Lens on Temporal Complexity
Journal
Academy of Management Review
ISSN
0363-7425
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2024-09-16
Author(s)
Abstract
Time-based theorizing has recognized the importance of temporal complexity but tends to reduce it to tensions and conflicts among but two static temporal demands. We reconceptualize temporal complexity as a dynamic interplay of multiple—that is, more than two—divergent temporal demands. Based on this reconceptualization, we develop a theory of organizational Eigenzeit, which illuminates how organizations “carve out” a time of their own amid temporal complexity. We propose a process model that explains how organizations navigate distinct constellations of temporal complexity by enacting varying degrees of temporal uncoupling and differentiation. Our model enables us to derive four generic modes of Eigenzeit—entrained, ambitemporal, agile, and pluritemporal—and theorize their characteristics and implications. We argue that grand challenges, such as climate change, require organizations to shift to more advanced modes of Eigenzeit, and detail why such a shift might be difficult to enact. Our paper contributes to time-based theorizing by specifying the distinct nature of temporal complexity and redirecting extant research toward examining different modes of Eigenzeit and their implied dynamics and consequences.
Language
English
Keywords
Reconceptualization of Temporal Complexity
Eigenzeit
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Volume
50
Number
1
Start page
93
End page
113
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
blagoy.blagoev@unisg.ch
References
Prof. Donal Crilly