When plans change: Examining how people evaluate timing changes in work organizations

We examine the dynamics of temporal responsiveness-the ability of organizat ional actors to adapt the timing of their activities to unanticipated event s. We review a broad body of psychological, economic, sociological, anthrop ological, and organizational research to introduce a reference point model of how people perceive and evaluate time in organizations. We then analyze how actors evaluate timing changes (changes from existing organizational sc hedules, routines, expectations. and plans).