Temporal Dominance: Controlling Activity Cycles When Time Is Scarce, Sudden, and Squeezed

Abstract

Constant interaction, digital interruptions, and shrinking time to think and act characterize much of present-day communication. The management of time pressures is a key concern for contemporary workers as work responsibilities encroach on each other and other domains of life. This study focuses on how individuals and collectives try to exert control over time through communication. An analysis of observational and interview data ( N = 26) at a health research organization revealed that workers encountered cyclical, pervasive temporal structures marked by commotion: a blur of jarring, immediate tasks that require intense communication. As workers sought to make time for sustained focus, these pervasive temporal structures stymied their efforts. The findings contribute to communication theory by illuminating relationships among organizing, time, and control. This study provides metalanguage that facilitates the description and examination of temporal activity, and it describes a form of temporal control that was evident across hierarchal roles. Power differences explained the efficacy and agency of team members’ choices to manage busy, disrupted, and fast-paced work.

The imperfections of employee involvement: harnessing the consequences of involvement practices on psychosocial risks at work

“…In fact, the pervasiveness of digital technologies makes it difficult to align the workplace’s technical features with the soft factors associated with human resource management practices (Khuntia et al , 2015). The technocentricity ushered in by digitalization generates sensations of time pressures, job insecurity and reduced control over the job (Palumbo and Cavallone, 2022), which expand the sources of psychosocial stress at work (Jensen et al , 2022; Trusson et al , 2018).…”