From temporal myopia to foresight: Bridging the near and the distant future through temporal work

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Authors

This paper examines how organizations can make long-term, distant future goals related to corporate sustainability actionable in the short-term, near future. Prior research suggests that this challenge is particularly pronounced in traditional organizations used to operate within a highly institutionalized temporal context dominated by economic short-termism. We add to this research by empirically investigating different forms of temporal work at a big German automotive firm that currently undergoes a major strategic reorientation toward sustainability. Drawing on interview, documentary, and press data, we discover and theorize the interplay of four intersecting forms of temporal work: explicit vs. implicit and aspirational vs. translational temporal work. Importantly, we find that explicit-translational temporal work—which focuses on breaking down sustainability goals into KPIs—in itself was not sufficient for deep-level strategic change. Only when it was coupled with more implicit and aspirational forms of temporal work, such change was made more likely. We deepen current research on organizational temporality by theorizing the interplay between the four modes of temporal work and their relation to changing highly institutionalized temporal structures. Our theorizing sheds new light on how actors and organizations can build new trajectories of change by engaging in temporal work and how such trajectories can support the transition toward sustainability.
Original languageEnglish
Article number14570
JournalAcademy of Management Proceedings
Volume2021
Issue number1
Number of pages1
ISSN0065-0668
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.08.2021
Event81st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management – AOM 2021: Bringing the Strategist Back to Practice: Communication Perspectives on Actorhood in Strategizing - Virtual, Briarcliff Manor, United States
Duration: 30.07.202103.08.2021
Conference number: 81
https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting
https://my.aom.org/program2021/
https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting/past-annual-meetings/2021-bringing-the-manager-back-in-management

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