TIMING IS EVERYTHING - GRADUATE ACCOUNTANTS, TIME AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

Studies have revealed that organizational commitment is often managed through symbolism. This paper focuses upon how time is used in an orga nizational context, symbolically and pragmatically, to demonstrate and demand commitment by new members. The paper draws upon data collected as part of a qualitative project on the occupational and organization al socialization of graduate accountants. Ethnographic fieldwork was c arried out in a regional office of an international firm of chartered accountants in the United Kingdom. One aspect of the data analysis rev ealed that the management and utilization of time is central to unders tanding the socializing function of the accountancy firm, and to the u ltimate organizational success of the graduate accountants.