Elliott Jaques once wrote, “In the form of time is to be found the form of living.” And this is what Niels Pflaeging has just addressed in this insightful and thought-provoking article. He has done so by addressing fundamental assumptions about organizations, management, and the contexts in which they operate. We all make assumptions about reality, and some of the most fundamental are the assumptions we make about time, because, as Jaques informs us, they lead us to our forms of living. Sociology has long taught that our perceptions of reality lead directly to our actions, and this is the main point of the article, that seeing things in a silo-time paradigm results in greatly different behavior than seeing things in a flow-time paradigm. Temporal assumptions and beliefs are some of the most fundamental of all assumptions and beliefs, so fundamental and deeply held that they are seldom questioned, indeed, are seldom even noticed as assumptions or beliefs that can be questioned. And this article does just that, questioning many basic assumptions about time and its relationship to organizational life and management. The article raises important questions that deserve serious consideration, and by that makes an important contribution to how we think about organizations and how they should operate.
As an inspiration for time, have a look at musicians, they are experts of time (and also timing), many of them wrote about it: B.A.Zimmermann: The spherical shape of time (Kugelgestalt der Zeit), K.H. Stockhausen How time is passing (Wie die Zeit vergeht) and let's not forget Miles Davis: “Time isn't the main thing. It's the only thing.” I am sure modern management has some musical favs to learn from.
Yes, music can certainly serve as an knspration to those interested in bringing time literacy and time orientation to work, organizations and Management discourse. I have explored a great deal of aspects involved on my Substack, including rhythmicity, flow, entrainment, and more!
Elliott Jaques once wrote, “In the form of time is to be found the form of living.” And this is what Niels Pflaeging has just addressed in this insightful and thought-provoking article. He has done so by addressing fundamental assumptions about organizations, management, and the contexts in which they operate. We all make assumptions about reality, and some of the most fundamental are the assumptions we make about time, because, as Jaques informs us, they lead us to our forms of living. Sociology has long taught that our perceptions of reality lead directly to our actions, and this is the main point of the article, that seeing things in a silo-time paradigm results in greatly different behavior than seeing things in a flow-time paradigm. Temporal assumptions and beliefs are some of the most fundamental of all assumptions and beliefs, so fundamental and deeply held that they are seldom questioned, indeed, are seldom even noticed as assumptions or beliefs that can be questioned. And this article does just that, questioning many basic assumptions about time and its relationship to organizational life and management. The article raises important questions that deserve serious consideration, and by that makes an important contribution to how we think about organizations and how they should operate.
Great article. Must share! :)
Thank you. Please share widely!
As an inspiration for time, have a look at musicians, they are experts of time (and also timing), many of them wrote about it: B.A.Zimmermann: The spherical shape of time (Kugelgestalt der Zeit), K.H. Stockhausen How time is passing (Wie die Zeit vergeht) and let's not forget Miles Davis: “Time isn't the main thing. It's the only thing.” I am sure modern management has some musical favs to learn from.
Thanks for commenting!
Yes, music can certainly serve as an knspration to those interested in bringing time literacy and time orientation to work, organizations and Management discourse. I have explored a great deal of aspects involved on my Substack, including rhythmicity, flow, entrainment, and more!