Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2025
Abstract
This article proposes a link between temporal structuring and the dynamics of organizing that is manifest in a fabric of concurrent paths that we call a path net. Path nets are shaped by mechanisms of temporal structuring, such as entrainment, planning, agency, and chance. Path nets materialize the effects of temporal structuring “here” and “now” in the comings and goings of actors and resources, thereby setting the stage for doings and sayings of situated practice and shaping the dynamics of organizing. Path nets offer a parsimonious system of picturing the complexity of organizing that is built on a processual ontology of paths and events. Through the lens of the path net, we can picture temporal structuring as a motor for organizing that drives recurrence without assuming stability or change. Comings and goings are readily observable, so path nets open new directions for empirical research on temporality and the dynamics of organizing.
Keywords
Temporal structuring, Organizing dynamics, Path nets
Discipline
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Research Areas
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources
Publication
Academy of Management Review
Volume
51
Issue
1
First Page
114
Last Page
137
ISSN
0363-7425
Identifier
10.5465/amr.2022.0412
Publisher
Academy of Management
Embargo Period
11-24-2025
Citation
PENTLAND, Brian T.; KREMSER, Waldemar; and GOH, Kenneth T..
Path nets: Concurrence and recurrence in the dynamics of organizing. (2025). Academy of Management Review. 51, (1), 114-137.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7651
Copyright Owner and License
Publisher
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2022.0412
