From snapshot to continuity: A dynamic model of organizational adaptation to environmental changes

Abstract

Organizational change research has frequently examined organizations’ short-term responses to external change. However, such a short-term, linear time perspective fails to explain how firms adapt to changes that manifest themselves repeatedly and over time, such as climate change. We therefore develop a dynamic model of organizational entrainment to environmental changes that emphasizes the importance of a cyclical time perspective for firms’ long-term adaptation. This paper responds to prior calls to adopt a time lens perspective to better understand organizational adaptation patterns. We provide an integrative framework on organizational entrainment and absorptive capacity that allows researchers to delineate “when” and “how fast” organizations adapt to external changes depending on their time perspective.