Dealing with Time in Social Inquiry: A Tension Between Method and Lived Experience

In a series of interviews, organizational researchers acknowledged the key role of time in social inquiry, and their tendency to exclude it in practice. The discrepancy between what researchers think about the incorporation of temporal factors in their research and what they actually do was explained by various pragmatic, methodological, and normative grounds, but they were not aware of other epistemological and ontological barriers related to their choice. The interviews also drew attention to a paradox that stemmed from an experience of ongoing tension between the methodologically prescribed sense of time and the experientially lived impression of time. Further analysis suggests that incorporation of time factors may significantly improve social process research. The study demonstrates that temporal elements do not merely change one's perception of a situation, but also provide a space for a richer and more meaningful interpretation by enabling an improved association of a particular event with one's personal frame of reference and lived experience. In addition, the study suggests that an awareness of the various approaches to time and the application of a consistent ontological framework to the analysis of social phenomena are likely to increase the coherence and congruity of the analysis. No particular perception of time is prescribed here. The emphasis is on self-awareness of the implications of temporalities on social phenomena and on ontological consistency in our research.