Actualizing novel trajectories: Chronological and kairotic improvisations

Abstract

The role of first responders during extreme crisis events consists of improvising under time pressure to retain control of the unfolding situation and mitigate harmful effects to help organizations restore their ‘normal’ functioning. This pervasive view of crises as cosmologic events obscures their transformational dimension and their long-term positive outcomes. In this article, we explore how actors respond to time pressure and vital stakes while identifying and actualizing a novel trajectory. They improvise to overcome limitations, create, and enact a desirable future to seize an opportunity that arises due to unexpected surprises. We argue that the actualization of novel trajectories relies on a combination of the enactment of a duplicate temporality that combines the chronological time-pressure of the unfolding event and kairotic time, in which critical decisions and actions actualize the desired future. Our contributions to the crisis management literature are twofold. First, we conceptualize chronological and kairotic improvisation practices to acknowledge that crisis response is not only about acting quickly but also about doing the right thing at the right time. Second, we shed light on crises as ‘cosmologic’ events, showing that they can be a point of origin for long-term positive outcomes. Finally, we advocate for a deeper and fine-grained consideration of time and temporality to advance crisis management studies.