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 The Role of Time in Theory Building

 Jisan John(16827499)

Ganesh Prasath Anandan (16629420)

 Jenna Balluck(15632951)

George, Jennifer M., and Gareth R. Jones. "The role of time in theory and theory building." Journal of Management 26, no.4 (2000): 657-684.

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Structure of the Presentation

1. Introduction

2. Factors of Theory

3.  Time in Theory Building

4. Dimensions of Time

5.  Theories related to time

6. Supporting Claims

7. Limitations

8. Critical Reviews

9. References

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So, What is Time ?

 The measured or measurable period during which an action, process, ocondition exists or continues (Webster 2014, accessed March 29,http://www.merriam-webster.com/)

Issues of time and temporality relate to modern organisational manage(Bluedorn and Denhardt 1988)

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 What about Theory ?

 Theory is a collection of assertions both verbal and symbolic that iden what variables are important for what reasons, and specifies how they ainterrelated , why are they ? And identifies the conditions under which should be either related or not

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Factors of Theory

 A complete theory is compose of 4 factors i.e (Whetten 1989)

1)  What Factors

2) How Factors

3)  Why Factors

4)  Who, Where and When Factors

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 Time in Theory building

•  Time (When) is considered as an important factor as it plays a criticatheory building and directly impacts the What, How , Who factors.

•

Inaccurate representation of time in theory building has resulted ininconsistent descriptions there by triggering a plethora of debates .

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 6 Dimensions of Time

Image 1.1

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Interdependence of factors

• Each of the factors of theory do not give an individual meaning andintegrated and articulated to give a cogent meaning.

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 The “What” of Theory  

• Concerned with the creation and definition of constructs that are thbe unnecessary to adequately understand some phenomenon.

•  Theoretically many researchers treat many constructs in a static , a temanner.

• Most often when constructs are defined issues relating to time are ig

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 The “How” of Theory  

• Specifies the nature of the relationships between constructs in a parttheory and often their causal ordering. Relationships often unfold ovand more often given implicit rather than explicit conditions.

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 The “Why” of Theory  

• Concerned with why constructs should be related to each other in thproposed causal relations are likely to exist.

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 What , How and Why Theories

Image 1.2

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 The role of time in theorizing

•  Three Components of theorizing process

• 1) Problem Statements

• 2) Thought Trials

• 3) Selection criteria

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 Time dimensions resolve controversies

literature ?• Four ongoing controversies

1. State-Trait Controversy

2. Role of leadership

3. Participation in decision making

4. Effects of Job redesign

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Supporting Claims

•  Time is one of the critical aspects in theory building as it serves asin measuring the cause and the true strength of relationships (Mit James 2001)

•  Temporal aspects should be considered explicitly while developrefining theory in organisational research (Sonnentag 2012) 

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Limitations:

•  Author has discussed the article from a narrow perspective dimensions of time in theory building , but has not mentioned abocritical aspects like quality of the completeness and thoroughnestheoretical work.

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Critical Review : Accounting Professi

•  Accounting theory views an organisation as a continuous entity.

• Flow of transactions occurs through time dimensions, known as accounting periofinancial year).

•  The inflows and outflows occur more or less continuously.

• However, a static analysis of the accounting presentation of activity is required asshareholders/ potential investors need to know where the organisation stands (B

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Critical Review : Accounting Professi

• Static Analysis of firm performance –  Annual Reports prepared.

•  Assuming discontinuity in time intervals of accounting periods (Bray

• Not very realistic as time is continuous and not discrete.

• Time Aggregation dimension does not show the rightscenario.

• Need to shorten time differences

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Critical Review : Accounting Professi

• Preparing short period operating accounts, for example, quarterly financial statem

• For management purpose only; not for shareholders

•  Allow to account for changes in inputs and outputs flows Change expectations

direction of firm. Reorientation of the organisation’s direction (Bray 2012).

• Change is not immediately visible in published annual accounts (short term); but tlong term.

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Critical Review: Information Technol

• Information Technology can revolutionise people’s perception of tim

measurement and the way time is organised (Lee and Whitley 2002)

•  Virtual reality has brought about a fundamental transformation in thtemporal aspects of work and organisations (Lee and Whitley 2002)

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Critical Review: Information Technol

• IT has changed the time frame patterns of decision making (Failla anBagnara 1992)

•  The transformation of time by Information Technology is global an(Failla and Bagnara 1992)

• Information technology can disorder the sequence of events and masimultaneous, and thereby time is dissolved (Failla and Bagnara 1992

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Critical Review:

 Time has to be given a more holistic consideration due to the following

• Neither objectivist or subjectivist conceptualisations of time addressa dimension of events (Bluedorn and Denhardt 1988)

• Chronological conceptualisations of time limit our ability to understdeeper and more complex inter relationships between processes (Bluand Denhardt 1988)

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References

• Bluedorn, Allen C., and Robert B. Denhardt. "Time and organizations." Journal of management 14, no. 2 (1988): 299-320.

• Bray, F. Sewell. 1996. “The Formal Principal of Public Company Accounting.” In Accounting Research, 1948-1958, edited by David Solomons a

162  –  179. UK: Cambridge University Press. http://books.google.com.au 

• Failla, Angelo, and Sebastiano Bagnara. "Information technology, decision, time." Social Science Information 31, no. 4 (1992): 669-681

• George, 00): 657-684.

• Lee, Heejin, and Edgar A. Whitley. "Time and information technology: Temporal impacts on in Jennifer M., and Gareth R. Jones. "The role of

theory building." Journal of Management 26, no. 4 (20dividuals, organizations, and society." The Information Society 18, no. 4 (2002): 235-240.

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Mitchell, Terence R., and Lawrence R. James. "Building better theory: Time and the specification of when things happen." Academy of Manano. 4 (2001): 530-547.

• Peters, Linda D., Marcus Vanharanta, Andrew D. Pressey, and Wesley J. Johnston. "Taking t ime to understand theory." Industrial Marketing M

5 (2012): 730-738.

• Sonnentag, Sabine. "Time in organizational research: Catching up on a long neglected topic in order to improve theory." Organizational Psy

no. 4 (2012): 361-368.

•  Whetten, David A. "What constitutes a theoretical contribution?." Academy of management review 14, no. 4 (1989): 490-495.