Watch the Time Carefully: The Use and Misuse of Time Effects in Management Research

Abstract

This article assesses how management researchers have used, and in some cases misused, time effects in their research designs, data analyses, and interpretations. Drawing from a content analysis of studies appearing in the Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly over the years 1988-1992, five different approaches for defining and operationalizing time effects are identified. Evaluation within and across these five approaches reveals three recurring patterns of “time series errors. ” The implications of these “errors “for studies with, and on time are provided.