Chan, P (2012) Constructing a sense of time in projects: Implications of a bergsonian view of time. In: Smith, S D (ed.) Proceedings of 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2012, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Construction management researchers have long been concerned with explaining time performance in projects. Many have simply relied on the quantitative notion of 'clock' time to explain how the actions of participants, as rational purposive beings, contribute to the time performance of projects. In this article, the central argument that the emphasis of managerial methods of time management in construction has failed to account for the full spectrum of time is put forward. By researching project time performance as an objectified goal, construction management researchers have not fully imagined the qualitative possibilities of individual time scales (or temporal perspectives) in organizations. Drawing on the work of French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) and empirical examples from an ongoing ethnographic study of infrastructure development projects in an international airport (MyAirport), it is argued that time cannot be simply represented as a homogeneous numerical order. Rather, researchers must open up potential questions about the multiplicity (i.e. heterogeneity and continuity) of the qualitative experiences of time in (organizational) life, which has hitherto been taken for granted in the field of construction management. Implications of the more plural perspectives of time are also discussed, in relation to space (context), strategy (future-orientation), and sense-making (connecting temporal perspectives).
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | henri bergson; sensemaking; temporality; time |
| Index terms: | temporality, infrastructure development, strategy, sensemaking, drawing, time management, time performance |
| Subjects: | cognitive psychology, management, technical documentation, business, project controls, infrastructure engineering |
| Topics: | Time Control, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Design Practice, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here