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2013/2014  KAN-CMF_IATI  It’s About Time - Dimensions of Time in Work and Organization

English Title
It’s About Time - Dimensions of Time in Work and Organization

Course information

Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Course period First Quarter
Changes in course schedule may occur.
Tuesday 8.00-11.30, week 36-43.
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Philosophy, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Rasmus Johnsen - MPP
Administration: Karina Ravn Nielsen, 3815 3782, electives.lpf@cbs.dk
Main academic disciplines
  • Business psychology
  • Philosophy and philosophy of science
  • Organization
  • Economic and organizational sociology
Last updated on 15-03-2013
Learning objectives
It is the aim of this course to provide the students with a comprehensive view of the concept and the experience of time in work and organization. As such, the course provides an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the historical and philosophical aspects of time and to gain an appreciation of the linkages between the experience of time and levels of performance. At the end of the course students should be more proficient at:
  • accounting for and critically discussing the difference between linear, cyclical and phenomenological concepts of time in work and organization
  • recognizing, analyzing and reflecting on the role of experienced time in work situations
  • identifying time-related behaviours, emotions and atmospheres in concrete cases and suggesting management interventions
Examination
It’s About Time - Dimensions of Time in Work and Organization:
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period October
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content and structure
Since its early days, management in organizations has been obsessed with time, embodied, for example, by Frederick Taylor's studies at the tum of the century. In most such cases, 'faster’ still means 'cheaper', and slowing down means not keeping up with the competition. But while such 'clock-time' is crucial to organization and management, it only represents one dimension of what time is. This course examines the different dimensions of time and temporality in studies of work and organization and explores how such different aspects may prompt different managerial interventions. It will outline some of the key dimensions of time to emerge from social philosophy and social theory and will examine the place of such dimensions in the history of industrial capitalism. As such, the course explores how homogenoues time management systems are complemented by other, more heterogenous time-reckoning systems. But the course will also explore what it means to experience time in different ways, engaging with the perception of time in phenomena like flow experiences, boredom and stress. Through lectures and exercises that engage with the students’ own experiences, we will explore how time unfolds and how it is aligned with feelings of agency and the setting of goals. We will also be exploring the notion of ‘atmosphere’ and ask what effects a boring or a stressed-out work environment will have on performance.
Teaching methods
Students are expected to participate actively in classes and to present/be part of a group presentation during the course.

Lectures:
will clarify theoretical aspects, elaborate on and supplement key topics, explain various approaches, and respond to questions from students.

Discussions:
Various texts will be assigned for reading. Segments of class sessions will be used for class discussion, questions, and student observation concerning these readings.

Cases:
Short cases are assigned for analysis and discussion. The success of case discussion depends upon the active participation of each student and student group. This involves communication, not only from teacher to students, but more importantly, between individual students and from student to teacher.
Further Information
Administration: Karina Ravn Nielsen (electives.lpf@cbs.dk)
Expected literature
Hassard, J. (1996): Images of Time in Work and Organizations, in Clegg, S. and Hardy, C. (1999): Studying Organization – Theory and Method, pp. 327-343

Bluedorn and Denhardt (1988): Time and Organizations, Journal of Managementvol. 14no. 2299-320

Lee, H., & Liebenau, J. (1999). Time in organizational studies: towards a new research direction. Organization Studies, 20(6), 1035–1058.

Roy, D. F. (1959): “Banana Time” – Job Satisfaction and Informal Interaction, in: Human Organization, vol. 18 (4), pp. 158-168

Ditton, J. (1979): BAKING TIME*. The Sociological Review, 27(1), 157–167.

Orlikowski, W. J., & Yates, J. A. (2002). It's about time: Temporal structuring in organizations. Organization Science, 684–700.

Schriber, J. B., & Gutek, B. A. (1987). Some time dimensions of work: Measurement of an underlying aspect of organization culture. Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Applied Psychology, 72(4), 642.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990): Flow – the psychology of optimal experience, HarperCollins, New York, pp. 48-70

Mainemelis, C. (2002). Time and Timelessness: Creativity in (and out of) the Temporal Dimension. Creativity Research Journal, 14(2), 227–238.

Shipp, A. J., Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. (2009). Conceptualization and measurement of temporal focus: The subjective experience of the past, present, and future. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 110(1), 1–22.

Svendsen, L. (2005): A Philosophy of Boredom (excerpt), Reaktion Books Ltd., London, pp. 11-59

Loukidou, L. et al. (2009): Boredom in the workplace: More than monotonous tasks,International Journal of Management Reviews, 11 (4), pp. 381-405
Last updated on 15-03-2013