Abstract
Why does time “fly,” and why do we feel there is not enough time? Drawing on the cross-fertilization of literature on Organizational Memory Studies (OMS) and Occupations and Professions in Organizations (OPO), we conduct an empirical longitudinal study to capture how the memories of temporal speed change as individuals become socialized into occupations. Based on an inductive analysis, we identify five mechanisms that accelerate the individuals’ memories of temporal speed as they transition from being students to becoming knowledge workers: interdependent work, work-life boundaries, the economization of time, the disciplining of and by time, and a moderating sense of enjoyment. We further summarize our contribution to the literature on social memory in OMS and the becoming lens in OPO research into a conceptual model of mnemonic time.