Billable hours as coordination mechanism to organizational entrainment
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2017-08-31
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nl
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Abstract
In this study is investigated how the use of billable hours can contribute to organizational entrainment. The research has a qualitative approach and is conducted within an IT consulting firm. According to Perez-Nordtvedt, Payne, Short and Kedia (2008) organizations and thus the employees need to deal with temporal changes constantly. There is a need to synchronize the internal activities to the external environment. Billable hours can function as coordination mechanism to help consultants to temporally coordinate projects with each other. Eleven senior business consultants from the advisory department are interviewed and the data indicates that billable hours can help consultants to temporally coordinate projects with each other. Findings suggest that billable hours are helpful in allocating resources an that it provides insight in how many hours are left for particular projects. In this way consultants can pace projects with each other. However, despite the fact that billable hours are helpful for consultants to temporally coordinate projects with each other, billable hours do not support consultants to plan activities that they need to perform.
Keywords: Billable Hours, Organizational Entrainment, Temporal Coordination, Consultants
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen