It is generally understood that time, among its other aspects, is a resource in organizational life. In this paper, we take an interpretive perspective to this notion by considering temporality as a verbal resource in the work of organizing. We introduce the concept of `temporal span' and discuss the ways in which temporal spans in talk serve to establish consistency as an ongoing attribute of organizational reality. Empirical examples drawn from an ethnomethodological study of human resource managers demonstrate interactions during which these managers invoke temporal spans to construct `fair organization'. We discuss the use of temporality as a verbal resource with respect to the interactional practices of human resource managers and the quality of consistency in organizational life.
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