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Presents a conceptual framework for understanding the meanings of polychronic behavior for individuals. A “created” meaning perspective, arguing that cultural, social, and personality differences influence how the meaning of polychronic behavior is interpreted at the individual level is presented. These meanings through a phenomenological study of polychronic behavior in the workplace for both traditional, “mainstream” Americans and recent Latin American immigrants are explored. Implications for managers and workgroups are also explored.

Defines polychronic time as the consumer’s ability to do a number of things at once and explains that it has been studied by researchers in an attempt to understand how individuals regard new products and services and their potential to save time or enhance polychronicity. Examines the literature on this subject with particular reference to Internet marketing. Generates a number of hypotheses for future research.

Consumer researchers have long known that some shoppers prefer to combine errands on their shopping trips, while others tend to focus on one errand at a time. However, there was no published evidence that similar behaviors occur within a specific shopping situation. Proposes that polychronic tendency analysis (PTA) can provide insights that explain such behaviors. Self‐reports were used to examine adult women's general polychronic tendency and to contrast this with reported polychronic tendencies when shopping for groceries and shopping for clothing to be worn at work. Three strong‐fitting, theoretically sound constructs consisting of multiple simultaneous activity and activity‐changing items were constructed using a structural equation modeling approach. The general, grocery shopping, and clothing shopping models differed from one another. This showed that women have different time use tendencies in different shopping situations. Also demonstrates how situation‐specific survey instruments and the resultant models and measurement scales can be developed using the PTA approach. Offers retail implications.

As competitive pressures mount, firms are attempting to do more with less – and far more quickly. They are downsizing, using teams, and pushing the time to market. These trends promote polychronic behavior in that they require additional variety in the tasks, activities, and roles that individuals must handle simultaneously. Although evidence suggests that creativity and polychronic preferences are positively related, demands for polychronic behavior appear to be defeating – and resisted – in creative venues such as R&D. This paper addresses this apparent disjunction by focusing on the definition of polychronicity, emphasizing the critical role of agency and the need to count as activities the not particularly visible workings of the mind. The paper proposes, in part, that among creative workers, individual creativity is more related to polychronicity than to monochronicity. Further, volition will play a moderating role in that the relationship between creative performance and either chronicity will be stronger the higher personal agency is in choosing tasks and schedules.

The goals of this investigation are to identify behaviors and attitudes that are predictive of an individual’s polychronic or monochronic time use, relating these findings to individuals’ time management approaches. A modified polychronic attitude indicator (PAI3) scale is used as the overall measure of monochronic/polychronic tendencies. A series of potential predictor variables from the “structure” portion of the FAST scale, items related to the time structure questionnaire, and other items based on literature synthesis and researcher judgment were used. A stepwise multiple regression analysis resulted in an eight‐predictor variable solution. It was concluded that polychronicity is related to different aspects of time management; recommendations are given for future study and for application in the workplace.

This research explores the determinants and consequences of salesperson polychronicity in a business-to-business (B2B) sales environment. Additionally, the study examined the link between the antecedents and consequences of salesperson polychronicity using resistance to change (RC) and manager trust in salesperson (MT) as moderators.

A conceptual framework was developed by testing eight hypotheses based on data collected from 378 salesperson-manager dyads.

The authors find that opening leader behavior is positively associated with salesperson polychronicity, while closing leader behavior negatively influences salesperson polychronicity. In addition, salesperson polychronicity positively affects service recovery performance and customer-directed organizational citizen behaviors (OCB). Finally, the RC and MT significantly and positively moderate the linkage between the antecedents and consequences of salesperson polychronicity.

This study is original because this is the first study to address polychronicity as an individual trait in a B2B environment where multitasking behavior is of paramount importance.

This paper provided construct validity evidence for polychronicity in two related studies. Study 1 assessed the relationship between individuals’ stated polychronicity preferences and peer ratings of polychronicity in a multitrait‐multimethod design, which indicated that different raters were able to agree about an individual’s polychronicity. Additional construct validity evidence was provided by linking polychronicity to several potentially related constructs such as achievement striving, impatience/irritability, stress, and performance. In study 2, hypothesized relationships between polychronicity and both time urgency and time management behavior dimensions were supported. In addition, similar relationships between polychronicity and time urgency dimensions were identified across French and US samples. Together, these two studies provide a clearer understanding of the correlates and potential outcomes of polychronicity. Directions for future research are also discussed.

This study explores the role of polychronic temporal orientation and decision-making decentralization on founders' perceptions of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE).

Longitudinal survey data were collected from 141 business founders in China.

Findings suggest that decision-making decentralization is positively associated with founders' ESE. In addition, a polychronic temporal orientation is positively related to ESE, and this relationship is mediated by decision-making decentralization.

This study adds to existing knowledge on ESE and temporal related issues by presenting empirical evidence that explains how and why the temporal orientation context and the practice of decision-making decentralization can shape ESE perceptions among venture founders.

To examine the relationship between monochronic work behavior (behavior that minimizes interruptions on the job) and Type A behavior, 147 faculty members of a midsized private university responded to a set of questionnaires which measured monochronic work behaviors, Type A behavior, job‐induced stress, research productivity, and number of working projects. Type A behavior was significantly and positively correlated with monochronic behaviors – in other words, Type As were more likely to use behavioral strategies that reduced polychronic thought. Type A and monochronic behaviors were also significantly correlated with job‐induced stress and number of publications. Contrary to the hypothesis, Type A and monochronic behaviors were also positively and significantly correlated with number of working projects.

The purpose of this paper is to measure polychronicity in Spain, traditionally typified as having a polychronic culture, characterized by a multifocused working environment.

A sample of 134 executives from 19 organizations in Madrid completed a questionnaire on polychronicity (working on more than one task at a time), time tangibility (precision in time use and performance), context (direct or indirect communication) and attention to people (whether people are dealt with spontaneously or in a more scheduled manner).

Contrary to what was expected in light of the traditional image of Spain, results indicate a tendency towards monochronicity. Gender and age did not show a relation with polychronicity. Time tangibility and context were also unrelated to polychronicity. A previously unmeasured variable, implied in Hall's original work, the spontaneous attention to people in establishing and maintaining good work relations, was positively related to polychronicity. Having worked for a multinational was also positively related to polychronicity.

The study was undertaken in Madrid only and focused on differences within a Spanish sample and no cross‐cultural comparison was made.

As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study of polychronicity in Spain. Social interaction, coined previously as an explanation for polychronic behavior, was added in this paper.