Time, Temporality, and History in Process Organization Studies

Time, timing, and temporality are inherently important to organizational process studies, yet time remains an under-theorized construct that has struggled to move much beyond chronological conceptions of "clock" time. Missing from this linear view are ongoing debates about objectivity versus subjectivity in the experience of time, linear versus alternative structures of time, or an appreciation of collective or culturally determined inferences of temporality. This is critical as our understanding of time and temporality can shape how we view and relate to organizational phenomena, either as unfolding processes or stable objects.

History is equally important. While we have an intuitive sense of history as a process, organizational theorists have struggled to move beyond two limited conceptualizations: history as a constraint on organization's capacity for change, or history as a unique source of competitive advantage. Both approaches suffer from the restrictive view of history as an objective set of "brute facts" that are exterior to the individuals, organizations, and collectives that experience them. Yet management theory is acquiring an awareness of time, history, and memory as critical elements in processes of organizing. This volume draws together emerging strands of interest in adopting a more nuanced orientation toward time, temporality, and history to better understand the temporal aspects of organizational processes.

Juliane Reinecke, Professor of International Management and Sustainability, King's College London,Roy Suddaby, Winspear Chair of Management, University of Victoria,Ann Langley, Chair in Strategic Management in Pluralistic Settings, HEC Montréal,Haridimos Tsoukas, Columbia Ship Management Chair in Strategic Management, University of Cyprus

Juliane Reinecke is Professor of International Management and Sustainability at King's Business School, King's College London. She is a Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Research Fellow at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, from where she received her PhD. Her research interests include process perspectives on global governance, sustainability, practice adaptation and temporality in organizations and in global value chains.

Roy Suddaby is the Winspear Chair of Management at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business in Victoria, Canada, and a Chair in Organisation Theory at the Management School of University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. His research focuses on the critical role of symbolic resources -- legitimacy, authenticity, identity, and history -- in improving an organization's competitive position. His current research examines the changing social and symbolic role of the modern corporation.


Ann Langley is Professor of Management at HEC Montréal, Canada, and Canada Research Chair in Strategic Management in Pluralistic Settings. Her research focuses on strategic change, leadership, innovation and the use of management tools in complex organizations with an emphasis on processual research approaches.

Haridimos Tsoukas holds the Columbia Ship Management Chair in Strategic Management at the University of Cyprus, Cyprus and is a Professor of Organization Studies at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK. His research interests include: knowledge-based perspectives on organizations; organizational becoming; the management of organizational change and social reforms; the epistemology of practice; and epistemological issues in organization theory.