Evoke Development

This is the standard practice for many individuals and organizations and it started with the Industrial Revolution. It was decided during this time that everyone must be in place to begin work at the same time. This also was the beginning of widespread acceptance toward the need to use a watch. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, people and the economy followed a more natural/agricultural state, using the rhythm of the sun rising and setting, the seasons, and their own bodies’ signals to measure time. The Industrial Revolution taught individuals to ignore their natural instincts – just because you are bored stiff, tired, and sore doesn’t mean you can stop – just suck it up and keep pace, efficiency is more important than you. This monochronic approach forced people to think that they could not be successful unless they were prompt and efficient, and that they must synchronize their thoughts and actions with others. This time philosophy created a good vs. bad mentality that ultimately discouraged original thought and creativity.

“On the other hand, in the polychronic approach, time is related to many complex factors. Decisions are typically made intuitively, in the moment, as events play out. This is a more complex system in that time is not considered to be absolute, but relative. When you function in polychronic time, you reward and appreciate flexibility, intuition, dedication, inspiration, imagination, and many other factors. Trust, bonding, pleasure, and quality of life influence your decisions” (McGee-Cooper & Trammell, 1993, pp. 25-26).

Early artisans serve as a good example – they focused on quality, not how many units they could make in an hour. They put a lot of pride into their work and continued working on a piece until it was completed to his or her satisfaction. Speed was not nearly as important as was the experience of holistic excellence. There was also no rigid separation between work and play. Take for example a barn raising. During this event, a building was constructed but, at the same time the entire community joined together to eat, dance, celebrate, and learn. Back then, an individual was not considered cultured unless he or she had at least one way of entertaining others, whether by music, storytelling, games, or other skills. Everyone was expected to develop these social graces.

Today, we live in a society in which most of us can’t even entertain ourselves, let alone someone else. We tend to focus more often on accomplishing a goal or assignment rather than on enjoying the experience and learning from it. But the purpose of this discussion is not necessarily to value one approach over the other. The goal is to recognize the differences and learn the importance of balancing the options. Learning to recognize and appreciate both monochronic and polychronic time is the key to having a more meaningful and fulfilling life. So, how does this apply in the business world? Well, cultures that dominantly take a more monochronic approach include the North Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians. Cultures that dominantly take a more polychronic approach include the French, Latin Americans, and Arabs. The Japanese are a good example of a culture that generally combines both. Simply recognizing these distinctions in approach can help reduce stress and frustration.

If you would like to learn more about this subject, I highly recommend the book – Time Management for Unmanageable People (1994) by Anne McGee-Cooper with Duane Trammell.