Essai: Organizational Time: Modern, Symbolic and Postmodern Reflections

Abstract

This paper reflects upon how the concept of time is depicted in three major perspectives of organization theory modem, symbolic and postmodern. In so doing, it draws upon time metaphors from sociological theory to make sense of time related issues in the evolution of organizational analysis. The paper analyses, for example, the commodification of time identified in labour process analysis; the social construction of time described in workplace ethnographies; and the compression of time (and space) proposed in writing on post-Fordism. Overall, the paper promotes a reflexive pluri-paradigm appreciation of time in organization theory and research.