How Managers Perceive Real

A new era of disruptive technologies and changing business practices is moving a number of industries toward the “real-time” enterprise. With the increased capabilities of online digital platforms, managers need to deliver goods and services faster and respond rapidly to customers. It is therefore critical to ask what “real time” means to managers, what real-time management entails, and learn how enterprises capture business value through real-time management, especially when the ability to adjust and operate in real time must be ingrained in an organization’s culture, structures, and processes. This article shows that managers who use “real time” in different ways can articulate different facets of experience and practices, leading to the “Fast & Flow” framework. Thinking of real time as “Fast & Flow” provides managers with insights for transitioning to real-time management that is better attuned to the organization, the market, and a technology-driven state of flux