When the Time Never Comes

Temporal Mobilization and Temporal Tensions in a Nascent Solar Energy Field

Bibliographic Data

ID22410185
AuthorsHeli Nissilä (0000-0002-7663-2958, Aalto University School of Business, Finland, corresponding author), Nina Granqvist (0000-0001-8603-2908, Aalto University School of Business, Finland), Mari Holopainen (Aalto University School of Science, Finland)
Year2026
Volume65
Issue6
Pages1561-1604
Publication date2026-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBusiness & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-6503 • E-ISSN: 1552-4205
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00076503251403401
OpenAlexW7123461130
LanguageEN
References cited39

Studies show how actors successfully engage with temporal mobilization, understood here as purposeful attempts to harmonize temporal perceptions across different field communities, to foster cross-community engagement with rising issues. These studies predominantly focus on established fields where organizations are prone to adopt similar rhythms and timeframes for action. Less is known about how temporal tensions emerge and develop between communities over temporal mobilization attempts and how they influence mobilization processes. We address this through a four-decade qualitative investigation of temporal mobilization in a nascent solar energy field. Our findings show how temporal mobilization polarizes asynchrony in community engagement, based on the “imprinting” of early temporal mobilization attempts and the emergence of conflicting perceptions of the nature of progress in the field among communities. We present a process model that explicates how asynchrony recurs and polarizes as an unintended inter-community dynamic, resulting in repeated breakdowns in the mobilization process.

Asynchrony (computer programming) · Community mobilization · Energy (signal processing) · Field (mathematics) · Mobilization · Perception · Temporal scales · Unintended consequences · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Management and Organizational Studies · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access