When Plans Change: Examining How People Evaluate Timing Changes in Work Organizations

Abstract

We examine the dynamics of temporal responsiveness—the ability of organizational actors to adapt the timing of their activities to unanticipated events. We review a broad body of psychological, economic, sociological, anthropological, and organizational research to introduce a reference point model of how people perceive and evaluate time in organizations. We then analyze how actors evaluate timing changes (changes from existing organizational schedules, routines, expectations, and plans).