Flowline at Work

Abstract

This chapter explores the use of metaphor to change temporal structuring of work practices in a news organization—from deadline to flowline. Deadline has been an ingrained institutionalized norm in the newspaper industry, representing a traditional temporal configuration that enables coordination and production of the printed newspaper. At present, it is out of sync with how news is produced and published online on a continuous basis throughout the day and night. To assist a news organization in making the shift towards an open-ended, near-future-oriented workflow, an action-research project was initiated for collaboration, co-construction of metaphors, and intervention in the newsroom. The chapter highlights the performative qualities of metaphors as enablers for transformative change and suggests that metaphorical events, understood as temporally enacted performances, have the potential to enact and spur sequences of change by creating new temporal structures and possibilities for action not previously imagined.