Days of Future Past: Implications of Mental Time Travel on Organizational Behavior.

Manisaligil, A.; Haksöz, Çağrı

Abstract

How can individuals in organizations effectively use their past experiences to adapt to the future? In this paper, we address this question through the concept of mental time travel, the human capacity to travel in subjective time and use past events as raw materials to simulate alternative future scenarios. We build on converging theories from neuroscience and psychology, as well as empirical evidence from neuroimagining, neuropsychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. While scholars from neuroscience describe how mental time travel happens, they raise the question of what motivates mental time travel. We identify three issues from organizational behavior that motivate mental time travel-performance evaluation, risk-taking behavior, and organizational culture-and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of mental time travel on these issues. In this way, this paper extends our understanding about the cognitive processes that enables us to adapt to the environment.

Citation

Manisaligil, A., & Haksöz, Ç. (2016). Days of Future Past: Implications of Mental Time Travel on Organizational Behavior. In Academy of Management Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2016.13074abstract

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (Published)
• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2019
• Publisher: Academy of Management
• Volume: 2016
• Series Number: 1
• Book Title: Academy of Management Proceedings.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2016.13074abstract
• Keywords: Adaptation, Memory, Mental Travel Time
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1692982