Caught Between Two Clocks: Rethinking Ambitemporality in the Context of Institutional Logic Conflicts and Digital Transformation

Abstract

Purpose: This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding ambitemporality in the context of institutional logic conflicts during digital transformation. It argues that ambitemporality — the capacity of organisations to accommodate contradictory temporal orientations — does not arise solely from market pressures, as existing theory suggests, but is fundamentally shaped by the institutional logics that competing organisational actors carry, and by the temporal impositions embedded in digital technologies. Design/Methodology/Approach: Drawing on institutional logics theory (Thornton et al., 2012), temporal structuring theory (Orlikowski and Yates, 2002; Barad, 2007; Braidotti, 2013; Latour, 2005), and the ambitemporality concept (Reinecke and Ansari, 2015), the paper develops a theoretical framework through systematic conceptual analysis and synthesis of existing literatures. The framework is illustrated through reference to the non-western public sector context of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 digital transformation program. Findings: The paper proposes that ambitemporality in digital transformation contexts is produced through three mechanisms: institutional logic conflicts that encode competing temporal orientations; technology deployment that materially instantiates objective temporality; and cultural context that mediates how temporal conflicts are experienced and managed. Five theoretical propositions are developed to guide future empirical research. Originality/Value: This paper makes three contributions. First, it extends the concept of ambitemporality beyond market contexts to institutional logic conflict settings. Second, it theorises digital technology as a temporal imposition mechanism rather than a neutral operational tool. Third, it introduces cultural context as a moderating variable in ambitemporality theory, with particular attention to non-western settings where subjective temporality may be institutionally dominant.