ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd Edition

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF TIME AND SPACE 161ber of events, including a telephone call, a consultation, or evenanother technologist with a request that the radiologist deemed moreimportant. [Barley, 1988, p. 145]When computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasoundcame into the departments, the temporal orders of the two setsof people became more symmetrical because of 1) the greater durationof each test, 2) the technician’s greater level of expertise in readingthe results, and 3) the degree to which the special proceduresinvolved in the new technologies often required the radiologists andtechnicians to work side by side throughout. Furthermore, the diagnosticprocedures in ultrasound could not be done in the first placeunless the technicians knew how to read results as they were forthcoming.The technicians acquired, de facto, more operational autonomy,which gave them more status, as did the reality that because oftheir greater amount of experience they often knew better than theradiologist how to read the results. The new technologies created aworld in which both technician and radiologist worked in a monochronicmanner, making it easier to coordinate their efforts andachieve efficiency for the patient and in the use of the equipment.Polychronically driven work always has the potential for frustratingthe person who is working monochronically, as exemplifiedin the interaction between an air traffic controller (polychronic) andthe pilot of a single aircraft waiting for landing clearance (monochronic).Similar issues arise when a patient gets frustrated waitingin the emergency room because she is not aware of the fact that thephysician is treating many at once. Because the monochronicallydriven person typically does not understand the multiple demandsbeing placed on the polychronically driven person, there is a veryhigh potential for misunderstanding and drawing inaccurate conclusions,such as perceiving the polychronically driven one as lazyor inefficient.The temporal context within which groups work, involving thepacing of activities, rhythms, and cycles of work activities, are obviouslyrelevant to how groups will perform and will be the source of