Lüpni z, Sebas ian
A icle
Un a elling collec i e ac ion ames h ough a empo al
lens: A case s udy o an en i onmen al mo emen in
Ge many
Junio Managemen Science (JUMS)
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Junio Managemen Science e. V.
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Lüpni z, Sebas ian (2025) : Un a elling collec i e ac ion ames h ough a
empo al lens: A case s udy o an en i onmen al mo emen in Ge many, Junio Managemen
Science (JUMS), ISSN 2942-1861, Junio Managemen Science e. V., Planegg, Vol. 10, Iss. 2, pp.
349-368,
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DOMINIK VAN AAKEN
Ad iso y Edi o ial Boa d:
FREDERIK AHLEMANN
JAN-PHILIPP AHRENS
THOMAS BAHLINGER
MARKUS BECKMANN
SULEIKA BORT
ROLF BRÜHL
KATRIN BURMEISTER-LAMP
CATHERINE CLEOPHAS
NILS CRASSELT
BENEDIKT DOWNAR
KERSTIN FEHRE
MATTHIAS FINK
DAVID FLORYSIAK
GUNTHER FRIEDL
MARTIN FRIESL
FRANZ FUERST
WOLFGANG GÜTTEL
NINA KATRIN HANSEN
ANNE KATARINA HEIDER
CHRISTIAN HOFMANN
SVEN HÖRNER
STEPHAN KAISER
NADINE KAMMERLANDER
ALFRED KIESER
ALEKSANDRA KLEIN
NATALIA KLIEWER
DODO ZU KNYPHAUSEN-AUFSESS
SABINE T. KÖSZEGI
ARJAN KOZICA
CHRISTIAN KOZIOL
MARTIN KREEB
WERNER KUNZ
HANS-ULRICH KÜPPER
MICHAEL MEYER
JÜRGEN MÜHLBACHER
GORDON MÜLLER-SEITZ
J. PETER MURMANN
ANDREAS OSTERMAIER
BURKHARD PEDELL
ARTHUR POSCH
MARCEL PROKOPCZUK
TANJA RABL
SASCHA RAITHEL
NICOLE RATZINGER-SAKEL
ASTRID REICHEL
KATJA ROST
THOMAS RUSSACK
FLORIAN SAHLING
MARKO SARSTEDT
ANDREAS G. SCHERER
STEFAN SCHMID
UTE SCHMIEL
CHRISTIAN SCHMITZ
MARTIN SCHNEIDER
MARKUS SCHOLZ
LARS SCHWEIZER
DAVID SEIDL
THORSTEN SELLHORN
STEFAN SEURING
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ANDREAS SUCHANEK
TILL TALAULICAR
ANN TANK
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MATTHIAS UHL
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PATRICK VELTE
CHRISTIAN VÖGTLIN
BARBARA E. WEISSENBERGER
ISABELL M. WELPE
HANNES WINNER
THOMAS WRONA
THOMAS ZWICK
Volume 10, Issue 2, June 2025
JUNIOR
MANAGEMENT
SCIENCE
Yannick Hohens ein,The Impac o P o i abili y on Scope 1, 2
and 3 GHG Emissions in Eu ope
Gün he Gampe , Small bu Powe ul: The Impac o Shel
Talke Flags on Consume Shopping Beha io
Sebas ian Lüpni z,Un a elling Collec i e Ac ion F ames
Th ough a Tempo al Lens: A Case S udy o an
En i onmen al Mo emen in Ge many
Mohammad Izza Raihan Im on, Sus ainabili y in he
Co po a e Sec o : A News Tex ual Analysis App oach
o Measu ing ESG Pe o mance
Eli Leman Bilgin, Unde s anding Eme gen Leade ship Ac oss
Cul u al Le els: A Theo e ical F amewo k
Nicolas Fiedle , Analyzing he Re ail Gasoline Ma ke in
Ge many: Impac o Spa ial Compe i ion and Ma ke
Concen a ion on P ices
Sebes yén And ás Huszá , The Role o Hie a chical
Di e en ia ion o he E ec i eness o Socce Teams
Hashma ullah Sadid, Wai ing Time Es ima ion o Ride-Hailing
Flee s Using G aph Neu al Ne wo ks
Licia Recke sd ees, Gone, Space Gone -Non-Te i o ial
Wo kplace Models in he Con ex o Hyb id Wo king
F om he Employees' Pe spec i e
Timo And eas Delle , Explo ing Disc epancies in Ene gy
Pe o mance Ce i ica es: Analyzing Ene gy E iciency
P emiums o Buildings Based on Theo e ical Ene gy
Requi emen s Ve sus Ac ual Ene gy Consump ion
292
334
349
369
402
424
441
462
491
522
Published by Junio Managemen Science e.V.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he CC-BY-4.0
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ISSN: 2942-1861
Un a elling Collec i e Ac ion F ames Th ough a Tempo al Lens:
A Case S udy o an En i onmen al Mo emen in Ge many
Sebas ian Lüpni z
D esden Uni e si y o Technology
Abs ac
O ganizing collec i e ac ion in he ace o clima e change is one o he g and challenges o ou ime. Social mo emen s and
hei app oach o aming clima e change a e pi o al, as hey a e asked wi h he ole o challenging and edi ec ing dominan
belie s and na a i es. Recen esea ch sugges s ha ime is a he co e o aming and sus ainabili y. Howe e , he e is scan
esea ch a he in e sec ion o social mo emen s and ime. This s udy esponds o his gap by examining how he aming o he
en i onmen al mo emen Le z e Gene a ion in Ge many cons uc s empo ali y. My indings e eal how he mo emen ames
clima e change as a ca as ophe, ep esen ing i sel as a i e ala m o c ea e a sha ed sense o u gency and ad oca e o a c isis
mode. Tempo ally, he aming cons uc s a clea ch onology be ween a dominan pas and an undesi able u u e and aims o
edi ec he ocus o he p esen . As a esul , he mo emen had o ac i ely o ches a e a balance be ween dis up i e s a egies
aimed a a en ion and pola iza ion, and alignmen s a egies o os e esonance and suppo . By concep ualizing empo ali y
in aming p ocesses my s udy illus a es he pi o al ole o ime in esea ch on social mo emen s and aming. Mo eo e , i
con ibu es o he discou se on ime and sus ainabili y by showing how ac o s emphasize a p esen - ime pe spec i e.
Keywo ds: clima e c isis; pola iza ion; social mo emen s; s a egic aming; ime and empo ali y
1. In oduc ion
“Time is no longe on ou side. [...]We ha e
a choice: collec i e ac ion o collec i e suicide.”
(Gu e es, 2022)
In he ace o clima e change, c a ing con incing ames ha
os e collec i e ac ion is c ucial o s imula ing change (Co -
nelissen & We ne , 2014; Nybe g e al., 2020). Al hough
he need o sus ainable de elopmen has been a opic o
ex ensi e discou se o o e h ee decades (Wo ld Commis-
sion on En i onmen and De elopmen , 1987), subs an i e
Fi s , I wan o hank P o . D . Blagoy Blagoe o p o iding me wi h
he eedom o explo e my esea ch in e es s while o e ing in aluable
guidance and suppo whene e needed. I am also g a e ul o he whole
Chai o O ganiza ion o hei encou agemen and inspi a ion h ough-
ou all phases o my wo k. Las ly, a special hanks goes o Jonas Angles
o sha ing he jou ney o w i ing ou i s empi ical esea ch pape . His
willingness o lis en, challenge my ideas, and me iculously p oo ead has
been indispensable.
socie al ans o ma ion is s ill a om su icien and he
ime window o ac ion o secu ing a sus ainable u u e is
apidly closing acco ding o he la es IPCC epo (Pö ne
e al., 2022). In esponse, schola s wi hin he sus ainabili y
discou se ha e ecen ly shi ed hei a en ion owa ds ques-
ions o how o c a and enac desi able u u es (Gümüsay
& Reinecke, 2022). Ye , esea ch in o ganiza ion s udies
e ealed how o ganiza ions ansla e sus ainabili y in o a
business case which has led socie y o emain apped in
a “business-as-usual” pa adigm, ul ima ely impeding a he
han acili a ing sus ainable de elopmen (W igh & Nybe g,
2017). Hence, i is o pa icula ele ance o s udy ac o s
ha aim o achie e socie al change by challenging dominan
amings, such as social mo emen s (W igh e al., 2018).
In ac , i migh be he “plu ali y o u u e-making p ac ices
ha con ibu es o ex ending he deba es on clima e change”
(Wenzel e al., 2020, p. 1448) and he ames o mo emen
ac o s ha c ea e al e na i e pa hways o ( e-)o ganize soci-
e y (Munshi e al., 2022).
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5282/jums/ 10i2pp349-368
© The Au ho (s) 2025. Published by Junio Managemen Science.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he CC-BY-4.0
(A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional). Open Access unding p o ided by ZBW.
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368350
Wi hin he con ex o collec i e ac ion, he li e a u e a
he in e sec ion o aming and social mo emen s concep u-
alizes ames as s a egic de ices ha se e as he co ne -
s one o mobilizing o he s (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014).
As a undamen al ask, p e ious esea ch emphasizes he im-
po ance o aligning ames wi h po en ial adhe en s o os-
e esonance and, consequen ly, ensu e he e ec i eness o
aming (Ben o d & Snow, 2000; Snow & Ben o d, 1988).
S udies p o ided empi ical suppo o he esonance mech-
anisms among indi iduals´p e e ence o ames (Gio gi &
Webe , 2015) and how esona ing ames acili a e change a
an ins i u ional le el (Zeng e al., 2019). In sum, esonance
is unde s ood as a key de e minan o he success o aming
ac i i ies.
Howe e , his s udy examines a social mo emen ha
appea s o delibe a ely employ non- esona ing, pola izing
ames. Le z e Gene a ion (LG) is a ecen ly o med en i-
onmen al mo emen in Ge many ha is mos known o
i s mo e dis up i e o ms o p o es , such as oad blockades.
The mo emen apidly caused a majo public deba e and p o-
oked sha ply con as ing eac ions o he p o es s, esul ing
in a no iceable deg ee o pola iza ion. Despi e he p e ailing
ejec ion o LG wi hin socie y and he p edominan ly se e e
c i icism di ec ed a i s dis up i e p o es s (S a is a Resea ch
Depa men , 2023), he mo emen appea s esolu e in ad-
he ing o i s s a egy while emaining commi ed o he im-
pe a i e o peace ulness. The e o e, he appa en absence
o he s a egic objec i e o alignmen and esonance con a-
dic s p io li e a u e on aming in social mo emen s.
To un a el aming ac i i ies o social mo emen s, I sug-
ges adop ing a empo al lens. F aming inhe en ly ca ies a
empo al dimension, as i is oo ed in an in e p e a ion o he
pas , p esen , and u u e, in ending o challenge and in lu-
ence dominan empo al belie s (Emi baye & Mische, 1998;
Nybe g e al., 2020). Pa icula ly in he con ex o clima e
change, ime has been a gued o be he cen al elemen o
sus ainable de elopmen (Bansal & DesJa dine, 2014). The
pi o al empo al challenge o clima e change de ia es om
he need o b oade changes in he u u e whils simul ane-
ously equi ing immedia e ac ion in he p esen (Slawinski
& Bansal, 2015). Su p isingly, he e is only li le esea ch
ha explici ly s udies aming in social mo emen s in ela-
ion o ime. Mo eo e , I a gue ha a empo al pe spec i e
unde sco es he p ocessual dynamics o aming and, he e-
o e, coun e ac s he ou come- ocused esea ch due o he
s ong emphasis on he s a egic aspec s o aming in ea -
lie li e a u e (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014). Following his
app oach, and puzzled by he pola izing aming s a egy o
he case, I ask he ollowing esea ch ques ions:
RQ1: How is empo ali y cons uc ed wi hin he
aming o an en i onmen al mo emen ?
RQ2: How does he mo emen employ i s aming
s a egically?
To add ess hese ques ions, I d aw on in e iew, documen ,
and obse a ional da a I collec ed o e a pe iod o nine
mon hs. Adhe ing o he phenomenological na u e o my
esea ch, I employ an induc i e app oach o da a analysis
using he hema ic analysis me hod (B aun & Cla ke, 2021).
My da a show ha he mo emen aims o shi he em-
po al ocus o he p esen by claiming a c isis mode in he
ace o he clima e ca as ophe. The e o e, he mo emen
employs wo dis inc s a egic aming p ocesses o achie e
i s objec i e: o con ey u gency, he mo emen consis en ly
engages in pushing o dis up he p esen while simul a-
neously endea ou ing o con ince po en ial suppo e s by
ansla ing he clima e ca as ophe aming. The eupon, I
heo ize ha collec i e ac ion ames, pa icula ly in imes
o pe cei ed o ac ual c isis, mus s ike a balance be ween
dis up i e s a egies delibe a ely designed o igge non-
esonance and pola iza ion, and alignmen s a egies aimed
a os e ing esonance and ga ne ing suppo .
The con ibu ion o my analysis is wo- old. Fi s , I en-
hance he li e a u e on aming and social mo emen s by
demons a ing he cen ali y o ime in collec i e ac ion
ames and, he eby, illus a ing he complexi y o (s a e-
gic) aming ac i i ies. This s udy shows how he empo al
dimension shapes he s a egic p ocesses used o employ a
ame. Based on he empo al cons uc ion o a ame, my
indings illus a e how esonance may no always be he
p ima y objec i e o aming ac i i ies. Ins ead, pola izing
ames can be a s a egy o dis up he p esen and en o ce
a empo al shi in he deba e. Mo eo e , I show how align-
men p ocesses a e in luenced by he empo al cons uc ion
o he ame by in oducing he p ocess o ansla ing.
Second, his s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e on ime
and sus ainabili y by showing how ac o s alue a p esen -
ime pe spec i e. While p e ious li e a u e p edominan ly
a gues o o ganiza ions o adop a long- e m, u u e-
o ien ed ime pe spec i e o be sus ainable, his case ep-
esen s an example o a mo emen igh ing o a sus ainable
u u e and simul aneously claiming a p esen - ime pe spec-
i e.
2. Theo e ical Backg ound
2.1. Un olding Social Mo emen s h ough a F aming Pe -
spec i e
The ex ensi e li e a u e on aming and social mo e-
men s o e s a ich ounda ion o build on. In con as o ea -
lie app oaches o s udying social mo emen s wi h a s ong
emphasis on s uc u al aspec s, such as esou ce mobiliza-
ion heo y (e.g., McCa hy and Zald, 1977), he aming
pe spec i e p o ides a heo e ical lens o un a el how collec-
i e ac ion is socially cons uc ed (Johns on & Oli e , 2000).
The e y exis ence o social mo emen s indica es ha he e
a e di e en in e p e a ions – ames – o he same issue,
which in his s udy´s con ex is clima e change and clima e
ac ion.
2.1.1. De ining F aming and Collec i e Ac ion F ames
F ames a e de ined as “schema a o in e p e a ion” (Go -
man, 1974, p. 21). Thus, hey se e as sensemaking de-
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 351
ices ha p o ide an in e p e a ion o wha is going on by
comp essing in o ma ion om he en i onmen . The e o e,
ames can be unde s ood as he “p inciples o o ganiza ion”
(Go man, 1974, p. 11) o “se o ules” (Gamson, 1975,
p. 604) ha go e n he assignmen o meaning and he ap-
p op ia e ype o ac i i y. F aming, in u n, cons i u es he
ac i e p ocess o de ining wha is going on, hus iden i ying
wha ames apply o a gi en e en o si ua ion (Go man,
1974, p. 21). Consequen ly, aming signi ies he p ocess o
cons uc ing and a ibu ing meaning, “an ac i e, p ocessual
phenomenon ha implies agency and con en ion a he le el
o eali y cons uc ion” (Ben o d & Snow, 2000, p. 614).
F aming p ocesses occu ac oss all le els o analysis.
In hei e iew o he aming li e a u e in managemen and
o ganiza ional esea ch, Co nelissen and We ne (2014) ou -
line he a ious concep s a a mic o, meso, and mac o le el.
A a mic o le el, esea ch in es iga es cogni i e ames and
how hey shape sensemaking p ocesses o indi iduals wi hin
he con ex o manage ial decision-making in o ganiza ions.
A a mac o le el, aming has been s udied in ins i u ional
con ex s o elucida e he p ocesses by which meaning s uc-
u es become ins i u ionalized as “ aken- o -g an ed eali-
ies” and, in u n, how hese mac o-le el s uc u es in luence
indi iduals´in e p e a ions and ac ions. A a meso le el, he
concep o aming has been used o examine how meaning
is cons uc ed and nego ia ed wi hin o ganiza ions. To s udy
social mo emen s, he meso le el is mos app op ia e as i
ocuses on how “s a egic ac o s a emp o ame cou ses o
ac ions and social iden i ies in o de o mobilize o he s o ol-
low sui ” (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014, p. 183). Hence, his
s udy concep ualizes social mo emen s as o ganized g oups
ha aim o os e change by aising awa eness and es ab-
lishing a collec i e unde s anding o a p oblema ic si ua ion
h ough aming ac i i ies.
Wi h he aim o mobilizing indi iduals o ake ac ion,
aming in social mo emen s inhe en ly encompasses a
s a egic dimension (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014). Snow
and Ben o d (1988) iden i y h ee undamen al aming asks
ha combined cons i u e he s a egic ace : diagnos ic,p og-
nos ic, and mo i a ional aming. Diagnos ic aming e e s
o he a icula ion o a p oblema ic si ua ion and he jus i ica-
ion o why i is p oblema ic in o de o es ablish a consensus
on he necessi y o change. This ask includes iden i ying he
sou ce o he p oblem by a ibu ing blame and esponsibili y
(Ben o d & Snow, 2000). Building upon he diagnosis o he
si ua ion, p ognos ic aming p esen s a p oposed solu ion
o add ess he p oblem. Las ly, mo i a ional aming aims
o p o ide indi iduals wi h a compelling easoning o en-
gaging in collec i e ac ion. This encompasses p o iding a
a ionale h ough language ha s i s mo i a ion (Ben o d &
Snow, 2000).
In summa y, he e a e wo key ace s o aming wi hin
he con ex o collec i e ac ion: aming as sensemaking, an
ongoing in e p e a i e p ocess o meaning cons uc ion, and
aming as a s a egic ool o social mo emen s o mobilize
suppo and os e change. Consequen ly, ames in social
mo emen s ha e been e e ed o as collec i e ac ion ames
(Snow & Ben o d, 1988, p. 198) o emphasize he s ong
agen ic na u e o hose ames in addi ion o hei in e p e-
a i e unc ion, as hey a e “calling o ac ion ha p oblema-
izes and challenges exis ing au ho i a i e iews and am-
ings o eali y”.
2.1.2. Unde s anding F aming as a P ocess
A la ge pa o esea ch in social mo emen s udies o-
cuses on he s a egic p ocesses o aming, he eby in es-
iga ing how mo emen s delibe a ely cons uc and deploy
ames o mobilize suppo and legi imize collec i e ac ion.
Key o his unde s anding is he heo y o ame alignmen
(Snow e al., 1986) which s a es ha h ough ame align-
men p ocesses social mo emen s “link hei in e es s and in-
e p e i e ames wi h hose o p ospec i e cons i uen s and
ac ual o p ospec i e esou ce p o ide s” (Ben o d & Snow,
2000, p. 624). In hei e iew o he aming li e a u e, Ben-
o d and Snow (2000) ou line ou dis inc alignmen p o-
cesses: (1) b idging – o ming linkages be ween a leas wo
ideologically cong uen bu ye unconnec ed ames conce n-
ing an issue o p oblem; (2) ampli ica ion – idealizing o in-
igo a ing speci ic exis ing cul u al alues o belie s in he
ames; (3) ex ension – enla ging he ini ial ames o inco -
po a e issues and conce ns ha a e seen as impo an o po-
en ial adhe en s; and (4) ans o ma ion – e aming old un-
de s andings and meanings and gene a ing new alues and
ames.
Co nelissen and We ne (2014), howe e , c i ique ha
he s ong emphasis on he s a egic use o ames in empi -
ical s udies has o e all led o an ou come- ocused and s a ic
esea ch neglec ing he p ocessual and dynamic na u e o
aming as meaning cons uc ion, o iginally p oposed in
he b oade concep in oduced by Go man (1974). Conse-
quen ly, ames a e no jus s a egic messages ha need o be
deployed, bu in e p e a ions ha allow ac o s o make sense
o he wo ld and make choices g ounded in ha unde s and-
ing (Kaplan, 2008). In esponse o he “ op-down” s a egic
app oach o aming, ecen s udies p opose a “bo om-up”
in e ac ional pe spec i e on aming (G ay e al., 2015; Ka-
plan, 2008; Reinecke & Ansa i, 2021). This shi aims o
coun e he ou come- ocused and s a ic esea ch and align
wi h he dynamic na u e o aming p ocesses. Focusing on
he mic op ocesses o aming, his s eam o esea ch a -
gues ha collec i e ac ion ames may be “subjec o spon a-
neous eme gence, eo ien a ion, and shi s in new si ua ions
h ough dynamic meaning-making on he g ound” (Reinecke
& Ansa i, 2021, p. 382). Howe e , I a gue ha his app oach
o some ex en o e looks he p onounced s a egic dimension
o aming in social mo emen s. The e o e, o his s udy,
I p ima ily ocus on s a egic p ocesses, as i aligns mos
wi h my case. Ne e heless, i is impo an o ecognize ha
aming is nei he me ely “ op-down” no “bo om-up”, bu
a he encompasses elemen s o bo h. S a egic alignmen
p ocesses a e necessa y o mobilizing suppo bu ely also
on in e ac ional and si ua ed accomplishmen s (Snow e al.,
1986).
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368352
In my esea ch, I ollow he call om Co nelissen and
We ne (2014) o mo e empi ical esea ch on aming as
an “ongoing p ocess o meaning cons uc ion” (p. 206). To
explo e he dynamics o aming and how meaning is con-
s uc ed, I apply a empo al lens o my ame analysis (Ny-
be g e al., 2020). This enables me o ex end he s a egic
pe spec i e and acknowledge he complexi y o aming p o-
cesses.
2.1.3. De e mine he E ec i eness o F aming: F ame Reso-
nance
I collec i e ac ion ames aim o os e change by align-
men p ocesses o mobilize people – whe he as an explici
s a egic objec i e o a mo e implici in e ac ional eme gence
– he ques ion a ises whe he any cha ac e is ics de e mine
he e ec i eness o a ame. The li e a u e a gues ha he
deg ee o ame esonance (Snow & Ben o d, 1988) is a he
co e o explaining why ce ain ames a e mo e success ul in
mobilizing people han o he s (Williams, 2004). In his con-
ex , esonance is unde s ood as “an audience´s expe ienced
pe sonal connec ion wi h a ame” (p. 716), and he eby di -
e s om neighbou ing concep s like legi imacy o jus i ica-
ion (Gio gi, 2017). Audience e e s o whoe e he am-
ing o he mo emen a ge s, including indi iduals, media, o
poli ics. Empi ical e idence alida es ha whene e ames
esona e, especially wi h key decision-make s and s a egic
pa ne s like he media, he likelihood o policy change is en-
hanced (Zeng e al., 2019). Mo eo e , when exposed o mul-
iple amings o e ime, audiences end o p e e amings
ha esona e wi h hei alues, conce ns, and needs (Gio gi
& Webe , 2015).
Resea ch ollowing he “ op-down” app oach a gues ha
ame alignmen p ocesses a e di ec ed owa ds achie ing
esonance up on (Snow e al., 1986). Resonance is, he e-
o e, unde s ood as a key ing edien o e ec i e aming.
Ben o d and Snow (2000) ou line wo se s o in e ac ing ac-
o s ha in luence he deg ee o ame esonance: (1) c ed-
ibili y – he ame´s consis ency in e ms o cohe ence be-
ween belie s, claims, and ac ions; he empi ical c edibili y o
he ame; and he pe cei ed c edibili y o hose a icula ing
he ame; and (2) salience – he cen ali y o he mo emen s´
ame o po en ial adhe en s; he expe ien ial commensu a-
bili y in e ms o how he aming esona es wi h e e yday
expe ience; and he na a i e ideli y and, he e o e, cul u al
esonance o he aming. Resea ch aking on a “bo om-up”
lens a gues ha esonance is “con ingen and si ua ionally
p oduced” (Reinecke & Ansa i, 2021, p. 403). The e o e,
he appeal o a ame o ex e nal audiences eme ges i e a-
i ely by ac o s le e aging esona ing ames and is alida ed
h ough in e ac ional p ocesses wi h key ac o s in he ield
(Lee e al., 2018).
O e all, esonance is iewed as a key de e minan o
aming success and non- esonance is conside ed a p oblem,
as hose ames may “ all on dea ea s” wi h po en ial ad-
he en s (Snow & Co igall-B own, 2005) and a e unlikely o
p omo e change a an ins i u ional le el (Zeng e al., 2019).
Rega ding he e y objec i e o social mo emen s, which
is o c ea e a sha ed (collec i e ac ion) ame, his holds
pa icula ele ance, especially in he con ex o en i on-
men al mo emen s whe e he co e issue o clima e change
a ec s e e yone. In a case s udy on non iolen esis ance
campaigns in Thailand, he choice o pola izing ames was
ound o u he an agonize socie al segmen s igge ing
coun e mobiliza ion (Somba poonsi i, 2023). To my s a e
o knowledge, he e is no esea ch examining how and why
mo emen s delibe a ely choose o employ non- esona ing o
pola izing ames.
2.2. Un a elling F aming h ough a Tempo al Lens
To u he enhance ou unde s anding o aming in social
mo emen s, I p opose a empo al lens. S udying he empo-
al cons uc ion o collec i e ac ion ames enables us o un-
a el he dynamic p ocesses ha cons i u e and de elop he
ame. Mo eo e , I a gue ha insigh s in o he empo al pa -
e ns wi hin in e p e a i e aming p ocesses will aid in elu-
cida ing and in e p e ing he mo emen s´s a egic choices
o deploy hei aming. To my knowledge, wi h ew excep-
ions (Munshi e al., 2022; Nybe g e al., 2020; Vande oo d
& Fleischmann, 2021), he e is e y li le esea ch ha ex-
plici ly s udies aming and social mo emen s in ela ion o
ime. Addi ionally, as ime is a gued o be he cen al ele-
men in sus ainabili y (e.g., Bansal and DesJa dine, 2014)
he empo al lens is especially app op ia e o s udying am-
ing in en i onmen al mo emen s.
2.2.1. The Cen ali y o Time in Collec i e Ac ion F ames
F aming is a empo ally embedded p ocess. Building on
he agen ic dimension o social mo emen s, as hei capac-
i y o cons uc and employ a aming based on hei in e -
p e a ion o an issue, aming p ocesses a e inhe en ly “in-
o med by he pas (in i s habi ual aspec ), bu also o ien ed
owa d he u u e (as a capaci y o imagine al e na i e pos-
sibili ies) and owa d he p esen (as a capaci y o con ex u-
alize pas habi s and u u e p ojec s wi hin he con ingencies
o he momen )” (Emi baye & Mische, 1998, p. 963). Fo
example, p ognos ic aming sugges s al e na i e ways in o
he u u e and diagnos ic aming assigns esponsibili y o
ac ion (Snow & Ben o d, 1988), hus cons i u ing he p o-
jec i e, u u e-o ien ed dimension o human agency (Emi -
baye & Mische, 1998). Consequen ly, aming is a p ocess
o making sense o he pas , p esen , and u u e. Li e a u e
on ime in sensemaking p ocesses concep ualizes “ ime as
he e y medium h ough which ac o s add ess and ans-
la e hei eali ies” wi h he p esen as he “locus o de in-
ing pas s and u u es” (He nes & Schul z, 2020, p. 4). Fo
his, pas , p esen , and u u e a e no unde s ood as sepa a e
and linea ly aligned (Reinecke & Ansa i, 2015) o as s able
empo al ca ego ies bu cons an ly nego ia ed in an ongo-
ing p esen (Schul z & He nes, 2013). Hence, ac o s ace
mul iple empo ali ies simul aneously a any gi en momen
and shi hei empo al o ien a ions dynamically acco ding
o he con ex (Emi baye & Mische, 1998). Fo example,
Vande oo d and Fleischmann (2021) in es iga e how social
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 353
mo emen s a e con on ed wi h somewha con lic ing em-
po ali ies while ha ing o swi ch hei empo al o ien a ion
be ween a ocus on he p esen , i.e., in si ua ions o eme -
gency and c isis, and need o expand hei empo al ho izon
owa ds he u u e, i.e., o inco po a e and ac i ely shape
b oade changes in he u u e.
De i ed om he s a egic na u e o aming, collec i e
ac ion ames challenge dominan empo al belie s and aim
o change pe cep ions and in e p e a ions o ime. Li e a u e
on empo al wo k examines how ac o s s a egically con-
s uc , na iga e, and capi alize ames (G anq is & Gus a s-
son, 2016) o align (Kaplan & O likowski, 2013), bu also
in luence and edi ec (Bansal e al., 2022) empo al as-
sump ions o pa e ns. This s eam o esea ch a gues ha
he mo e ac o s engage in empo al wo k, he mo e likely
hey enable conc e e s a egic ac ion and choice ha di-
e ges om he p e ailing s a us quo (Kaplan & O likowski,
2013). Consequen ly, aming in social mo emen s can be
unde s ood as a o m o empo al wo k wi h he objec i e
o c ea ing a sha ed belie o empo ali y o os e change
(G anq is & Gus a sson, 2016; Nybe g e al., 2020). In
a s udy on aming con es s in he UK deba e on acking,
Nybe g e al. (2020) in es iga e how ac o s cons uc em-
po ali y in hei aming o make hem con incing. They
in oduce he heo y o empo al po abili y (p. 189), s a -
ing ha he cons uc ion o ime wi hin a aming makes i
meaning ul o ac on. They a gue ha ames wi h a ce ain
empo al linea i y esul ing om a clea ch onology o con-
nec ing a dominan pas wi h a ecognized u u e a e mo e
con incing and, he e o e, ac ionable. Thus, o en i on-
men al mo emen s o be success ul in challenging dominan
ames, he coun e - ames need o gain empo al po abili y
h ough solidi ica ion p ocesses o ce ain y, simplici y, and
amilia i y. While his s udy unde lines he cen ali y o ime
in aming con es s, i only p o ides limi ed insigh s in o
how empo ali y is ac i ely cons uc ed based on an ac o ´s
in e p e a ion o clima e change and s a egically employed.
2.2.2. Tempo al Pe spec i es in F aming Clima e Change
Resea ch a he in e sec ion o ime and sus ainabili y
has highligh ed how ac o s´ empo al pe spec i es ma e in
esponse o clima e change (e.g., Lê, 2013; Slawinski and
Bansal, 2012,2015). In he li e a u e, empo al pe spec-
i e is cha ac e ized by i s “deg ee o emphasis on he pas ,
p esen , u u e” (p. 141) – he empo al ocus – and “ he dis-
ance looked in o pas and u u e” (p. 142) – he empo al
dep h (Bluedo n, 2002).
The long- e m na u e o clima e change accoun s o ac-
o s inc easingly shi ing hei empo al ocus o he u u e.
In imes o c isis su ounded by unce ain y, Wenzel e al.
(2020) a gue ha “ac o s ha e begun o expe ience he u-
u e as a p oblema ic, open-ended empo al ca ego y” (p.
1442). Ac o s s uggle o e di e en iews on ecological u-
u es and he complexi y o he issue makes aming chal-
lenging. Clima e change as a aming is abs ac and lacks
immedia e ac ionable elemen s (Nybe g e al., 2020). Some
esea ch s a es ha i is essen ial o pa ly decouple om he
p esen and engage wi h dis an u u es as abs ac , and po-
en ially mo e adical, imagina ions o “wha migh be”, o
collec i ely de elop al e na i es o a u u e in he ace o
clima e change ha , consequen ly, can become ea ed as as-
i eali ies (Augus ine e al., 2019). This is closely ela ed o
he no ion o desi abili y, which allows ac o s o a icula e
desi able u u es h ough ac s o imagina ion and p o ide
hope (Gümüsay & Reinecke, 2022). Hence, desi able u u es
a e pe o ma i e in ha hey ac i ely shape he u u e in he
p esen . Howe e , esea ch on u u e-o ien ed ac ion p esup-
poses ha ac o s ha e su icien ime o de elop, and c a
sha ed collec i e u u es. In momen s o c isis ha imply
u gency and need o immedia e ac ion, hose u u e imag-
ina ies mus be b ough in o he he e and now o “dis up
p esen hinking” (De Cock e al., 2021, p. 470). While en-
gaging wi h desi able u u es in okes imagina ion o ans-
o ma ion, he cons uc ion o a sha ed sense o u gency by
an icipa ing undesi able u u es may be o equal impo ance
o e oke collec i e ac ion in he i s place (Alimadadi e al.,
2022).
Consequen ly, he ques ion a ises as o how o ganiza-
ions should adjus hei ime pe spec i es in esponse o
clima e change. Resea ch a gues ha o ganiza ions ace
in e - empo al ensions esul ing om he di e en empo al
ho izons o economic and en i onmen al logics (Slawinski
& Bansal, 2015). Thus, o ganiza ions mus make ade-o s
be ween bene i s now, such as sho - e m inancial p o i s,
and bene i s la e , such as long- e m sus ainabili y a ge s. A
p esen - ime pe spec i e a ou s pay-o s in he sho - e m a
he expense o he long- e m, he e o e, con ibu es o sho -
e mism (La e y, 1996; Ma ginson & McAulay, 2008) which
inhe en ly p e en s o ganiza ions om aking ac ion owa ds
sus ainable de elopmen (Bansal & DesJa dine, 2014; Slaw-
inski e al., 2017). Thus, his s eam o esea ch emphasizes
he need o o ganiza ions o adop a long- e m, u u e pe -
spec i e ha aligns wi h he empo ali y o he en i onmen
(Slawinski & Bansal, 2012,2015). To be sus ainable, o ga-
niza ions mus be willing o make in e empo al ade-o s
by balancing he di e en empo ali ies (Reinecke & Ansa i,
2015; Slawinski & Bansal, 2015)).
Su p isingly, wi h one no able excep ion (Kim e al.,
2019), he p esen - ime pe spec i e has ecei ed li le a -
en ion in he li e a u e on empo ali y and sus ainabili y
e en hough i is commonly ag eed ha clima e change is
an u gen issue ha equi es immedia e ac ion (Wenzel e
al., 2020). Kim e al. (2019) challenge he asse ion ha a
p esen - ime pe spec i e is no compa ible wi h sus ainable
de elopmen by in oducing he concep o a long p esen .
By aming he p esen as an ex ended du a ion, a he han
a dis inc momen wi h no empo al dep h, ac o s we e able
o see connec ions among p ocesses ha enabled a he han
hinde ed sus ainable de elopmen .
3. Me hods
My s udy ollows a phenomenon-d i en case s udy ap-
p oach (Yin, 1993) o unde s and he dynamics p esen
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368354
wi hin he en i onmen al mo emen LG (Eisenha d , 1989).
Conduc ing a single-case s udy enabled me o engage deeply
wi h he phenomenon and collec and analyze a ich se o
da a om mul iple sou ces o ensu e he obus ness o my
indings. Combining he lens o aming wi h a empo al pe -
spec i e ensu ed a con empo a y me hodological app oach
o analyze my da a and c a ou insigh ul, new heo y.
3.1. Da a Collec ion
The da a collec ion happened be ween Decembe 2022
and Sep embe 2023 and included in e iews wi h pa ic-
ipan s o LG, in e nal documen s, and con ex ual obse a-
ions. The iangula ion allowed me o complemen and con-
as my di e en da a sou ces, he eby p o iding obus ness
o my indings and heo y (e.g., Eisenha d , 1989). Appendix
A p o ides an o e iew o he empi ical ma e ial I collec ed.
3.1.1. In e iews
To gain deep insigh in o indi idual pe spec i es on cli-
ma e change and LG, I conduc ed en in e iews wi h eigh
pa icipan s o he mo emen o e a pe iod o wo mon hs.
They we e all explici ly in e iewed as indi iduals in ol ed
in LG, no as o icial spokespeople o he mo emen (Munshi
e al., 2022). In he sampling p ocess I selec ed people wi h
di e en demog aphic cha ac e is ics (esp. in e ms o age
and gende ), di e en le els o expe ience (esp. in e ms
o his o y in clima e ac i ism and hie a chical le el a LG),
and di e en unc ional a eas wi hin he mo emen o limi
bias and ensu e a di e se ange o pe spec i es (Eisenha d
& G aebne , 2007). In he beginning, I app oached indi id-
uals ia Ins ag am and open cha g oups o LG. F om hese
ini ial con ac s, I applied a snowballing p inciple and asked
o u he po en ial in e iew pa ne s. In addi ion, one in-
e iewee ag eed o sha e my eques in in e nal cha g oups
o LG. Tha way, I was able o each ou o indi iduals who
ac ed mo e in he backg ound o did no use social media.
The in e iews ollowed a guideline ha was adap ed o
he espec i e indi idual and o he hema ic ocus o e ime.
Whe e possible, I collec ed in o ma ion on my in e iewees
in social media pos ings o p ess eleases be o e he in e -
iew. Ini ially, he guideline ocused on unde s anding how
he indi iduals ame clima e change and clima e ac ion in
gene al. To examine he ole o empo ali y, I asked ques ions
on hei in e p e a ion o he pas and p esen in e ms o po-
li ical ac ion and he ole o en i onmen al mo emen s, and
how hey imagine he u u e in he ace o clima e change.
O e ime, he ocus swi ched o he speci ic aming s a e-
gies o LG and he ole o pola iza ion. A e wa ds, as he im-
po ance o ne wo king ac i i ies eme ged as a key inding,
I conduc ed h ee in e iews wi h a speci ic ocus on unde -
s anding he mechanisms o ne wo king.
O e all, a key challenge in he in e iews was o c ea e a
sa e space whe e he in e iewees el ee o alk abou hei
pe spec i es and expe iences. The eason behind his was
ha because o he ha sh c i icism he mo emen aces, in in-
e iew si ua ions he pa icipan s eel like hey mus con in-
uously jus i y hei ac ions. Ea ly on I no iced ha his would
hinde me om ge ing indi idual and insigh ul esponses.
To add ess his challenge, I s a ed he in e iews wi h mo e
open and pe sonal ques ions, e.g., abou he in e iewees´
mo i a ion o pa icipa e in he mo emen , how hey eel
abou he cu en poli ical si ua ion, and hei iews on cli-
ma e ac i ism in gene al. By showing in e es , I mean o
c ea e a pleasan a mosphe e o he in e iew. A e wa ds,
I asked mo e speci ic and po en ially c i ical ques ions, e.g.,
abou he s a egy and o ganiza ion o LG. Fu he mo e, all
mee ings included in o mal alk be o e and a e he in e -
iew. Wi h wo indi iduals, I conduc ed a second in e iew.
One was mo i a ed because o a di e en hema ic ocus, as
he in e iewee had wo ele an oles a he ime. The o he
one had he aim o unde s and how he a i ude and unde -
s anding o a new pa icipan o LG changed o e ime (se en
weeks in be ween he in e iews). Bo h in e iews u ned
ou o be e y insigh ul as a ce ain eeling o us was es-
ablished.
In his hesis, I e e o he in e iewees wi h he e m
“pa icipan s” (o he mo emen LG). This e m empha-
sizes he ac i e in ol emen o he indi iduals in he mo e-
men . I delibe a ely decided agains he mo e common
e m “ac i is s” as i may no accu a ely ep esen he sel -
iden i ica ion o he in e iewees. Some indi iduals explici ly
c i icized he e m because i implies a kind o iden i y ha
sugges s a social li e o d opou s whe e ac i ism is seen as an
end in i sel . The e o e, I a gue ha “pa icipan s” can be a
mo e inclusi e e m ha encompasses a b oade ange o in-
di iduals in ol ed in he mo emen . In addi ion, i includes
he di e si y o di e en ac i i ies he in e iewees engage
in, anging om “p o es e s” o “ne wo ke s”. To p o ec
esponden con iden iali y I do no assign pseudonyms as po-
en ial conclusions on he gende may ha m hei anonymi y
(Kaise , 2009).
The in e iews las ed be ween 39 and 70 minu es wi h an
a e age leng h o 56 minu es. All o hem we e conduc ed in
Ge man. Nine in e iews ook place online ia Zoom and one
in e iew ook place in pe son. All in e iews we e audio-
eco ded and subsequen ly ansc ibed e ba im. In o al, he
app oxima ely 9.5 hou s o eco ded in e iew ma e ial (9h
21min) esul ed in 128 ansc ibed, and ully anonymized,
pages. All in e iew exce p s used o p esen my indings
we e ansla ed om Ge man o English. Table 1p o ides
an o e iew o he in e iews I conduc ed.
3.1.2. Documen s
In addi ion o he in e iews, I collec ed in e nal s a e-
gic plans as well as in o ma ion ma e ial, guidelines, decla-
a ions, and o ganiza ional cha s om he in e nal wiki o
LG. The mo emen is anspa en abou i s s a egy, s uc-
u e, and o ganiza ion and I was able o access ele an da a
online ia he websi e. In addi ion, he in e iewees p o ided
me access o ansc ip s om hei p esen a ions on he s a -
egy as well as scien i ic pape s he s a egy is based upon.
The documen s suppo ed me in c ea ing an e ec i e guide-
line, o ensu e ha I do no include supe luous ques ions,
and in he in e iews, o be able o alk abou he opic and
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 355
Table 1: In e iews
Code Role Desc ip ion* Da e Leng h (minu es)
LG_01 P o es an 05.06. 44
LG_02 P o es an , Coo dina o o egional p o es eam 14.06. 52
LG_03 Suppo e o p o es and mobiliza ion 15.06. 60
LG_04 P o es an , Suppo e o p o es and ne wo king 22.06. 52
LG_05 P o es an , Coo dina o o egional ne wo king, Communica o o s a egy 23.06. 70
LG_06 Suppo e o public ela ions and mobiliza ion 05.07. 39
LG_07** P o es an , Coo dina o o egional ne wo king, Communica o o s a egy 19.07. 67
LG_08 Coo dina o o a na ionwide ne wo king pilla 24.07. 56
LG_09 Coo dina o o a na ionwide ne wo king pilla 26.07. 57
LG_10** Suppo e o p o es and mobiliza ion 02.08. 64
* Roles in c i ical posi ions (i.e., leading oles wi h decision-making powe and pe sonnel esponsibili y – called Coo dina o s) a e clea ly de ined.
Ne e heless, i is no unusual o pa icipan s o LG o ha e mul iple oles a he same ime. Fo in e iewees no ha ing an explici ole I used he e m
Suppo e and men ioned he p ima y a eas hey suppo ed.
** In e iews wi h ecu ing in e iewees
ask subsequen ques ions. Mo eo e , I used he documen s o
unde pin and en ich my da a bu also o con as hem wi h
he s a emen s my in e iewees made. In o al, I analyzed
161 w i en pages.
3.1.3. Con ex ual Obse a ions
Mo eo e , I ollowed he public discou se and he de el-
opmen o LG in de ail by obse ing mee ings and collec -
ing o he publicly a ailable ma e ial. In Decembe 2022, I
pa icipa ed in a egula mobiliza ion p ocess o LG, which
consis ed o wo online mee ings, whe e a pa icipan o LG
p esen ed he s a egy and ga e oom o discussion. In he
ollowing weeks, I pa icipa ed in he weekly upda e mee -
ings o LG, o ge a gis o how he mo emen wo ks and
o ganizes. Mo eo e , I lis ened o wo podcas s, one di ec ly
p oduced by LG and one om jou nalis s who in es iga ed
he mo emen o e se en mon hs. O e he whole ime, I
ollowed h ee open LG cha g oups, including upda e and
discussion ooms and ele an Ins ag am accoun s, includ-
ing he o icial accoun o LG and accoun s om key s a e-
gic indi iduals. This helped me o con ex ualize my da a and
en ich as well as con as eme ging indings. Due o imely
cons ain s, his da a was no analyzed sys ema ically.
3.2. Da a Analysis
My analysis ollowed an induc i e app oach going om
da a o heo y (Eisenha d , 1989). Due o he phenomenon-
d i en na u e o my esea ch, I app oached he da a wi h a
b oadly scoped esea ch ques ion o ensu e lexibili y in he
analysis p ocess (Eisenha d & G aebne , 2007). Puzzled by
he socie al ejec ion he mo emen aces and hem holding
on o hei s a egy, I ini ially en e ed he ield wi h a gene al
in e es in how LG ies o os e change. Cycling be ween he
li e a u e and my da a, aming eme ged as a aluable lens o
s udy social mo emen s. The concep o aming and ame
analysis (Gamson, 1975; Go man, 1974), and he oolki o
aming asks, aming p ocesses, and aming ea u es (e.g.,
Ben o d and Snow, 2000) p o ided me wi h a decen body
o li e a u e o comp ehend my eme ging indings. The ole
o ime and empo ali y eme ged as a co e heme ea ly in he
analysis p ocess. Consul ing he li e a u e, he empo al lens
u ned ou o be a p omising, ye mos ly uns udied, pe spec-
i e on aming, because i enabled me o un a el aming
and aming s a egies h ough a dynamic lens (Co nelissen
& We ne , 2014; Nybe g e al., 2020). To c a ou he hemes
and pa e ns o he empo al cons uc ion and he aming
s a egies, I b oadly ollowed he me hodological app oach
o e lexi e hema ic analysis sugges ed by B aun and Cla ke
(2021). I e a ing be ween da a collec ion and da a analysis
enabled me o adap and speci y my in e iew ques ions o
eme ging puzzles and indings. Following I desc ibe he ou
main s eps o my analysis p ocess.
S ep 1: Familia ize wi h he da a. In he i s s ep, I
aimed o amilia ize mysel wi h he da ase and ge a gen-
e al o e iew o he a ious da a sou ces. I skimmed h ough
all he collec ed documen s and ho oughly ead and e- ead
h ough he in e iew ansc ip s o imme se and c i ically
engage wi h he da a (B aun & Cla ke, 2021). I made ex ual
and isual no es o e e y in e iew o ge an unde s anding
o he di e en pe spec i es on clima e change and LG and
a e wa ds compa ed he no es o look o ecu ing opics.
The cen ali y o ime as he cons uc ing dimension o he
aming o clima e change and he esul ing s a egies om
LG eme ged in his s ep.
S ep 2: Coding he da a. Second, a e uploading my
da a in o MAXQDA so wa e, I sys emically coded he in-
e iew and documen da a employing an open coding ap-
p oach. Following an induc i e o ien a ion, I shi ed my
a en ion o asking ques ions and ocusing on puzzles (G o-
dal e al., 2021). Fo example, I no iced how he in e ie-
wees ocused s ongly on he p esen as a small ime win-
dow o ac ion, bu highligh ed he need o b oad, sys emic
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368356
ans o ma ion in he u u e. I i e a i ely wen back and
o h be ween da a sou ces, making su e o go h ough e -
e y ansc ip a leas wice (B aun & Cla ke, 2021; Locke
e al., 2022). To enhance coding quali y and ensu e e lexi -
i y wi hin he p ocess, I c ea ed memos a e e e y analysis
session (Bi ks e al., 2008) o e lec on my p og ess, chal-
lenges, unce ain ies o eme ging candida e hemes. In his
s ep, I no iced how he codes e ol e a ound wo cen al op-
ics, namely he cons uc ion o u gency by a p esen ocus
and he c ea ion o a sha ed sense o u gency by pola izing
and aligning aming s a egies.
S ep 3: De elop hemes om o e a ching pa e ns.
Thi d, I o ganized he codes o o e a ching pa e ns ac oss
he da a. Following an abduc i e app oach, I i e a ed be-
ween da a, li e a u e, and eme ging indings. To enhance
my unde s anding o he indings on empo ali y, I consul ed
he li e a u e on in e - empo al ensions (e.g., Slawinski and
Bansal, 2015), desi abili y in empo al wo k (e.g., Alimadadi
e al., 2022) and he small body o li e a u e a ailable on
empo ali y in aming (e.g., Nybe g e al., 2020). Mo e-
o e , I con as ed my indings on pola izing as a aming
s a egy o he li e a u e on ame esonance (e.g., Lee e
al., 2018; Snow e al., 1986). To o ganize my hough s, I
mo ed away om ex ual memos and con inuously de el-
oped and modi ied models o isualize my indings. In his
s ep, I de eloped meaning ul ca ego ies o he cons uc ion
o empo ali y and he aming p ocesses.
S ep 4: In eg a e and e lec on indings. In he las
s ep, I used pos -i no es and mind-mapping o in eg a e my
indings in o a concep ual model. I speci ically looked a he
in e ela ions be ween my wo co e indings, hus how he
speci ic aming s a egies esul ed om he empo al con-
s uc ion o he ini ial ame on clima e change. Finally, I
e lec ed on my indings and con as ed hem agains my con-
ex ual obse a ions and da a sou ces.
4. Findings
4.1. In oduc ion o he Case: We a e The Las Gene a ion!
LG ocuses on dis up i e o ms o p o es . The s a o
he mo emen can be aced back o Sep embe 2021, be-
o e he ede al elec ion in Ge many, whe e a ew indi iduals
ini ia ed a hunge s ike in pu sui o a public dialogue on
he clima e c isis wi h he candida es o chancello . To da e,
some o hese indi iduals o m he co e g oup o LG being e-
sponsible o he s a egic o ien a ion o he mo emen . The
i s p o es unde he name o Las Gene a ion ook place in
Janua y 2022 as a oad blockade in Be lin. Since hen, LG
ini ia ed a ious campaigns (e.g., u ning o oil pipelines,
soiling amous a pain ings, sp ay-pain ing a p i a e je , and,
mo e ecen ly, la ge unannounced p o es ma ches), while
he main and mos equen o m o p o es is s ill oad block-
ades in all majo ci ies in Ge many. To achie e maximum dis-
up ion, he p o es e s usually glue hemsel es o he s ee s,
p olonging hei emo al by au ho i ies. The s a egic oun-
da ion behind hose p o es s builds on he idea o peace ul
ci il disobedience. The mo emen i sel de ines peace ul ci il
disobedience as “ he s a egic use o peace ul means by ci -
izens who wan o make a di e ence socially, poli ically, o
economically” (Le z e Gene a ion, 2023b). In p ac ice, his
includes delibe a e ac s o ule-b eaking o iola ion o he
law unde he impe a i e o peace ulness o dis u b he pub-
lic and build up poli ical p essu e. Ci il disobedience gained
popula i y in clima e ac i ism in ecen yea s. An ea ly, well-
known example is he B i ish mo emen Ex inc ion Rebellion
(XR). In e es ingly, LG was p edominan ly ini ia ed by indi-
iduals wi h p io in ol emen in he mo emen XR, who
spli o because o a pe cei ed missing s a egic and o ga-
niza ional cla i y. Fu he mo e, oge he wi h se e al o he
en i onmen al mo emen s p ac icing ci il disobedience, LG
o med he in e na ional A22 Ne wo k.
Because o hei dis up i e p o es , LG pola izes he pub-
lic. Despi e he young his o y and ela i ely small numbe o
membe s (e.g., in compa ison o F idays o Fu u e (FFF)),
he mo emen has ecei ed g ea media a en ion and ig-
ge ed a deba e on clima e ac i ism in Ge many. While he
majo i y ag ees on he impo ance o clima e p o ec ion
(Lehmphul, 2016), he e a e sha p di isions on he legi -
imacy o he p o es o LG. The media uses ie ce he o ic,
e.g., b anding he pa icipan s o LG as Klimaklebe (Clima e-
Glue s) o Klimachao en (Clima e-Ana chis s). Also, leading
poli icians c i icize he p o es as inapp op ia e, e.g., he
chancello o Ge many Ola Scholz called he ac ions “com-
ple ely c azy” (dpa, 2023), o e en coun e -p oduc i e, e.g.,
ice chancello Robe Habeck a gues ha “ his p ocess p e-
en s a majo i y in a ou o clima e p ojec ion” in (dpa &
epd, 2023). Fu he mo e, he p o es s o LG a e la gely e-
jec ed in socie y (S a is a Resea ch Depa men , 2023). In
addi ion, he e is a lack o cla i y on whe he he p o es s
o LG, pa icula ly he oad blockades, a e legal. Many
p o es e s ace majo legal ep essions including empo a y
cus ody and mone a y ines. In May 2023, he ep essions
culmina ed in a na ionwide aid, whe e he homes o se e al
key indi iduals o LG we e sea ched, based on he suspicion
ha LG o ms a c iminal o ganiza ion.1Despi e he c i icism
and ep essions, he mo emen o da e con inues wi h hei
s a egy.
To ensu e he abili y o ac in he ace o c i icism and
ep ession, LG o ganizes i sel in a cen alized and hie a -
chical s uc u e. A co e eam o h ee indi iduals, who a e
also e e ed o as he ‘ ounding eam´, owns he decision-
making manda e and is esponsible o he s a egic di ec-
ion o he mo emen . Toge he wi h h ee o he indi iduals,
hey o m he co e g oup. The co e g oup discusses s a egic
ques ions and p o ides s a egic o ien a ion o he egional
g oups. While hey a e no di ec ly in ol ed in ope a ional
asks like campaign plannings, hey do own he powe o e o
i decisions do no align wi h he b oade s a egy. O e a -
ching ope a ional decisions a e delega ed o a coo dina ion
1As o he ime o he w i ing p ocess (Oc obe 2023), he suspicion has
been empo a ily d opped. Howe e , he discussion pe sis s, and he pos-
sibili y o an indic men has no ye been uled ou .
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 363
Figu e 1: S a egic aming p ocesses
he las possibili y o p e en undesi able u u es. Conse-
quen ly, a be e , desi able u u e can only eme ge ou o he
c isis mode in he p esen . The mo emen in en ionally de-
p io i izes he u u e as a empo al pe spec i e o accen ua e
he sense o u gency and he eby s a egically excludes ques-
ions o b oade changes in he u u e. The way he mo e-
men cons uc s ime o ms he ounda ion o he aming
and de e mines he p ocesses h ough which he mo emen
deploys i s ame o os e collec i e ac ion.
To con ey he cons uc ed u gency LG ac i ely manages
he balance be ween dis up ing he p esen by keeping a
s a ic aming and aligning i s aming o achie e a ce ain
deg ee o esonance. This balancing ac is e lec ed in he
wo in e ela ed bu in p ac ice decoupled p ocesses o push-
ing and ansla ing. While he mo emen u ilizes syne gies
be ween he p ocesses, such as le e aging he a en ion om
he p o es o access o ne wo king pa ne s, hey build on
undamen ally di e en mechanisms. Dis up i e s a egies,
including all public ac i i ies like p o es s, p ess in e iews,
and cou hea ings, a e employed o push he p esen o-
cus. The e o e, he mo emen aims o dis up he p esen
and s a egically igge a ce ain deg ee o pola iza ion. On
he one hand, pola iza ion is used o gain a en ion, be un-
igno able, and p o oke a discou se in he he e and now. This
logically emana es om he aming o clima e change as a
ca as ophe, emphasizing he limi ed ime window o ac-
ion. While speci ic campaigns, such as p o es s a ge ing
a luen indi iduals o oil companies, ga ne ed signi ican ly
g ea e esonance among he public audience, he mo emen
obse ed a s a k dispa i y in he le el o a en ion ecei ed by
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368364
Figu e 2: A heo e ical model o empo ali y in c isis ames: Balancing dis up ion and alignmen
hese ac ions compa ed o he oad blockades. On he o he
hand, he aming ine i ably gene a es pola iza ion due o
i s p esen ocus, implying di ec and immedia e in luence
on he ac ions o poli ical and economic ac o s, a he han
in he u u e. Thus, he empo al cons uc ion o he ame
limi s he ma gin in which he aming can be aligned wi h
po en ial adhe en s. Consequen ly, wi hin he con ex o a
c isis, a aining a high deg ee o esonance may no neces-
sa ily be he p ima y objec i e o s a egic aming p ocesses,
and igge ing some deg ee o non- esonance migh be c u-
cial.
Howe e , he mo emen endea ou s o os e esonance
by engaging in ne wo king ac i i ies. LG aligns he clima e
ca as ophe ame o pe suade p ospec i e suppo e s o he
aming. By ansla ing he clima e ca as ophe ame o he
a ious pilla s o socie y he mo emen p ojec s conc e e un-
desi able u u e s a es ha will ine i ably esul om inac-
ion in he p esen . To p o ide a angible pe spec i e, he
complexi y o c ises in e wined wi h he clima e ca as o-
phe is decons uc ed and con ex ualized wi hin he ame-
wo k o he ins i u ion o ac o . Thus, ne wo king also o-
cuses on con eying he u gency and he need o immedia e
ac ion in he he e and now bu pa ially aligns he aming o
achie e ha objec i e. By especially highligh ing undesi able
u u es in he con ex o he espec i e ne wo king pa ne ,
he mo emen igge s eelings o ea and eg e and, he e-
o e, aims o c ea e an emo ional connec ion o he clima e
ca as ophe ha in u n os e s esonance o he aming o
LG and s imula es suppo . In he sho e m, he mo emen
ocuses on s a egically powe ul pa ne s ha can suppo
he mo emen in public h ough solida i y s a emen s and
unc ion as us wo hy ca ie s o he ca as ophe aming
in hei speci ic con ex . In he long e m, he mo emen en-
gages in ans o ma i e p ocesses wi hin he ins i u ions o
ac o s by emphasizing ha ano he u u e is possible.
In summa y, he case illus a es how he s a egic am-
ing p ocesses a e linked o he empo al cons uc ion o
he aming. Fo c isis ames ha aim o c ea e a sha ed
sense o u gency, aligning he aming o achie e esonance
may no cons i u e he p ima y objec i e o all s a egic p o-
cesses because o he inhe en p esen ocus. Ins ead, he
mo emen deploys i s aming in a dialec ic p ocess, ac i ely
o ches a ing an in ica e equilib ium be ween dis up i e
s a egies, aimed a igge ing non- esonance, and alignmen
s a egies, aimed a os e ing esonance. To shi he em-
po al ocus o he p esen he case demons a es ha mo e-
men s may s a egically employ pola izing aming ac ics.
Howe e , also o c isis ames esonance is necessa y. The
mo emen ecognizes he impo ance o c ea ing esonance
wi hin socie y o os e change. None heless, o ames wi h
a s ong p esen ocus, gene a ing esonance and con eying
u gency p esen s an eno mous challenge. To pa ially align
he aming, he case indica es how mo emen s may ini ia e
alignmen p ocesses independen ly, which subsequen ly ake
place decoupled om he main and isible public campaigns.
5.2. Con ibu ions and Implica ions
The heo e ical con ibu ion o his s udy is wo old. Fi s ,
i con ibu es o he esea ch on aming in social mo emen s
by illus a ing he undamen al ole o ime and empo ali y
in aming p ocesses and p o iding an in-dep h empo al
pe spec i e on a unique, con empo a y case. Second, i
con ibu es o esea ch a he in e sec ion o ime and sus-
ainabili y by emphasizing he ele ance o a p esen - ime
pe spec i e in he ace o clima e change and, he e o e,
enhances heo ies on in e - empo al ensions and u u e-
o ien ed ac ion.
This s udy e eals how aming p ocesses canno be s ud-
ied isola ed om hei empo al cons uc ion. Especially o
collec i e ac ion ames ha se e an in e p e a i e and a
s a egic unc ion (Snow & Ben o d, 1988), ime plays a un-
damen al ole in how ac o s make sense o he pas , p esen ,
and u u e bu also aim o challenge and change dominan
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 365
empo al belie s. By un a elling how he mo emen s a egi-
cally cons uc s a empo al ch onology and ies o shi he
empo al ocus o he p esen , his s udy shows how aming
can be unde s ood as a o m o empo al wo k (Bansal e al.,
2022; Kaplan & O likowski, 2013; Nybe g e al., 2020). A
empo al lens p o ides ou come- ocused esea ch on s a e-
gic aming p ocesses and he somewha s a ic aming li e a-
u e in gene al wi h a dynamic cha ac e o come up wi h he
complexi y o aming as an ongoing, in e p e a i e p ocess
o meaning cons uc ion (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014).
Howe e , his s udy ex ends beyond how ac o s cons uc
ime (G anq is & Gus a sson, 2016) and mobilize empo al-
i y (Nybe g e al., 2020) by examining how he empo al con-
s uc ion and he s a egic aming p ocesses a e inex icably
in e wined. Building on he heo y o empo al po abili y
in oduced by Nybe g e al. (2020) his case illus a es how a
mo emen seeks o cons uc a empo al ch onology o make
he aming mo e con incing and ac ionable by o example
“ educing he ime ames o clima e ac ion” and “linking
clima e change o wha a e seen as legi ima e and immedi-
a e conce ns” (p. 192). The p esen - ime pe spec i e esul -
ing om he mo emen s´in e p e a ion o clima e change
as a ca as ophe ha equi es immedia e ac ion a ec ed he
aming p ocesses and objec i es. The p esen ocus posed a
wo- old challenge, equi ing he simul aneous cul i a ion o
esonance and compelling con eyance o u gency, which in
u n cons ains ame alignmen possibili ies. Mo eo e , po-
la iza ion is employed as a aming s a egy in he p ocess o
pushing o display and en o ce he p esen ocus. While he
aming li e a u e concep ualizes esonance as a key mech-
anism o e ec i eness (Ben o d & Snow, 2000; Co nelis-
sen & We ne , 2014), his s udy illus a es how a mo emen
had o balance s a egies ha aimed o c ea e non- esonance
and esonance o c ea e a sha ed sense o u gency. This ad-
ances ou unde s anding o ame esonance (Lee e al.,
2018; Snow & Ben o d, 1988; Snow e al., 1986; Zeng e al.,
2019) inso a as esonance migh no always be he p ima y
objec i e o all aming p ocesses and employing pola izing
ames can be a s a egy o display he empo al pe spec i e
o he aming.
Fu he mo e, his s udy in oduces he p ocess o ans-
la ing as an al e na i e o m o ame alignmen . Building on
he heo y o s a egic alignmen p ocesses (Ben o d & Snow,
2000; Snow & Ben o d, 1988), ansla ing con ains elemen s
o ame b idging because i in ol es making connec ions
be ween wo unconnec ed bu ideologically ela ed ames
(e.g., ne wo king wi h o he clima e jus ice mo emen s o
scien i ic ins i u ions), and ame ex ension because i ex-
pands he scope and ele ance o he ame by associa ing
i wi h o he issues o in e es s (e.g., ne wo king wi h heal h
o ganiza ions o chu ch). Howe e , i in oduces a unique
elemen in ha i ocuses speci ically on he con ex o he
di e en ins i u ions o ac o s and ailo s he aming o es-
ona e wi h hei speci ic conce ns and alues. The emphasis
on c ea ing an emo ional connec ion o he issue in line wi h
he empo al cons uc ion o he ca as ophe aming dis in-
guishes ansla ing as a dis inc p ocess in he b oade ame
alignmen heo y. T ansla ing, in his con ex , in ol es no
only con eying bu also pe suading po en ial suppo e s o
adop he mo emen ´s empo al belie s, aiming o es ablish
quick common g ound du ing momen s o c isis.
This s udy also con ibu es o he li e a u e on in e -
empo al ensions in sus ainable de elopmen (e.g., Bansal
and DesJa dine, 2014; Reinecke and Ansa i, 2015; Slawin-
ski and Bansal, 2015) by illus a ing how a p esen - ime pe -
spec i e may be mo e aluable han p e iously assumed. The
li e a u e a gues ha o ganiza ions ha e o apply a long- e m
pe spec i e o be sus ainable and examine how ac o s na -
iga e di e en empo ali ies and make ade-o s (Reinecke
& Ansa i, 2015; Slawinski & Bansal, 2015). Su p isingly, he
case o LG ep esen s an example o an ac o who igh s o a
sus ainable u u e and simul aneously claims a p esen - ime
pe spec i e. The e o e, his s udy p o ides insigh s in o how
ac o s assess a long- e m, u u e pe spec i e as p oblema ic
in he ace o clima e change. Fi s , because he undeni-
able u gency o he clima e c isis equi es immedia e ac ion
o mi iga e he e e -wo sening si ua ion and p e en he
ipping poin s. By p io i izing he p esen , he mo emen
unde sco es he idea ha a socially jus u u e can only be
secu ed h ough immedia e ac ion in he p esen . Second,
adop ing a long- e m pe spec i e on clima e change implies
ha he e is enough ime o change. As a esul , ac o s
migh no pe cei e he u gency o “hide” behind long- e m
goals and, he e o e, delibe a ely pos pone clima e ac ion as
a ques ion o he dis an u u e.
Thus, his s udy con ibu es o he discou se on how ac-
o s imagine collec i ely dealing wi h he ension be ween
he need o immedia e ac ion because o he u gency and
he need o b oade changes in he u u e inhe en in cli-
ma e change (Slawinski & Bansal, 2015; Wenzel e al., 2020).
The p oposed c isis mode sugges s ha by p io i izing sho -
e m goals, such as he implemen a ion o i s s eps as c i-
sis measu es, conc e e ac ion and esponsibili y can be as-
signed. This enables a mo e e ec i e e alua ion compa ed
o complex, long- e m goals, de e mining whe he socie y
pe cei es he u gency and necessi y o change. The sho -
e m goals can u he unc ion as he s a ing poin h ough
which a ca as ophe can be mi iga ed and a be e , desi able
u u e can eme ge om. By pe cei ing he p esen as in e -
connec ed o he u u e a he han a dis inc momen , he
p esen - ime pe spec i e p o ides an al e na i e iew o sus-
ainable de elopmen ha is no abou ade-o s (Kim e al.,
2019). Consequen ly, his s udy e eals how mo emen s may
no assess he missing long- e m pe spec i es bu he unwill-
ingness o ac in he p esen as he key issue ha hinde s
sus ainable de elopmen .
Mo eo e , his s udy con ibu es o esea ch on u u e-
o ien ed ac ion by illus a ing how ac o s make connec ions
be ween he p esen and he u u e o cons uc u gency.
While p io esea ch ocuses on how dis an and desi able
u u es a e imagined o in oke ans o ma ion (Augus ine
e al., 2019; Gümüsay & Reinecke, 2022), his s udy shows
how ac o s delibe a ely p ojec nea and undesi able u-
u e s a es o emo ionalize and c ea e a sha ed sense o
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368366
u gency (Alimadadi e al., 2022). To os e collec i e ac ion
he an icipa ion o undesi able u u es di ec ly connec ed
o p esen s a es migh be c ucial o achie e a sense o u -
gency o change in he i s place. Fu he mo e, his s udy
ad ances esea ch on u u e desi abili y (Alimadadi e al.,
2022; Gümüsay & Reinecke, 2022) by showing how ac o s
s a egically exclude he ampli ica ion o desi able u u e
possibili ies. By no making connec ions be ween he p esen
and a dis an , desi able u u e he mo emen ies o a oid
he discou se om de ailing o poli ical u u e imagina ies
and he eby no ackling he ac ual u gency o he c isis in
he p esen . The case depic s he challenge o connec ing u-
u e social imagina ies o he p esen (De Cock e al., 2021;
Nybe g e al., 2020) in u gen si ua ions. In he ace o a
p essing c isis, he ques ion a ises as o how o achie e eso-
nance o a aming ha depic s a u u e ision ha may be
adically and ideologically di e en om he p esen , e.g.,
an i-capi alism. The e o e, he p esen - ime pe spec i e is
used o delibe a ely dis ac om b oade changes in he
u u e o os e ac ionabili y in he p esen (Vande oo d &
Fleischmann, 2021).
On a p ac ical no e, mo emen s ying o os e change
need o c a collec i e ac ion ames by cons uc ing empo-
ali y in a con incing way (Nybe g e al., 2020). In imes
o c isis, mo emen s may need o employ a s ong ocus on
he p esen o cons uc u gency. Howe e , ocusing on he
p esen and excluding b oade u u e ques ions may esul in
a pe cei ed imbalance be ween he mo emen ´s claims and
he ac ion o he mo emen . While a simul aneous ocus on
he p esen and u u e migh pose a isk o mo emen s, po-
en ially sh inking i s powe (Vande oo d & Fleischmann,
2021), i is impo an o make s ong connec ions be ween
he p esen and he u u e and explain he empo al ocus o
achie e esonance, e.g., by engaging in ne wo king ac i i ies.
5.3. Limi a ions and Fu u e Resea ch
An inhe en limi a ion o his s udy s ems om he single-
case esea ch design. LG p o ides a highly in e es ing and
ele an case o s udying social mo emen s and he o ga-
niza ion o ime in aming because i is c i ical, in ha he
unusual aming s a egies challenge exis ing heo y, and is
unique, in ha he app oach is new and igge ed majo dis-
cou se (Eisenha d & G aebne , 2007; Yin, 1993). The e-
o e, conduc ing a single case s udy ha allows imme sion
and a ich desc ip ion o he phenomena can be a powe -
ul example o ex ending exis ing heo y and inspi ing u-
u e esea ch (Siggelkow, 2007). Howe e , as a single case
s udy only in es iga es one speci ic example he quali y o
he eme gen heo y is limi ed in e ms o obus ness, gene -
alizabili y, and es abili y (Eisenha d & G aebne , 2007). To
enhance and s eng hen my indings, u u e esea ch could
conduc mul iple case s udies (Yin, 1993). Speci ically, I see
g ea po en ial in compa a i e case s udies ha in es iga e
pola ypes (Eisenha d , 1989) o mo emen s ha seemingly
ha e simila objec i es bu employ di e en aming s a e-
gies. S udies could examine how and why en i onmen al
mo emen s cons uc ime di e en ly in hei aming while
ag eeing on he u gency o clima e change. FFF, o exam-
ple, has a s ong empo al ocus on he u u e and explici ly
claims sys emic change. Resea ch could hen in es iga e he
implica ions o di e se empo al cons uc ions o collec i e
ac ion in he b oade clima e jus ice mo emen . None heless,
I also encou age u u e esea ch o es he applicabili y o my
indings in o he con ex s, such as social mo emen s whe e
he e is less ob ious empo al ension be ween u gency and
b oade chances in he u u e.
The sho ime ho izon o he da a collec ion p ocess ep-
esen s ano he limi a ion o his s udy. De i ed om he
p ocessual and dynamic unde s anding o aming, i is ce -
ain ha ames and aming s a egies will change o e ime
(Co nelissen & We ne , 2014). Al hough he s ong and de-
libe a ely anspa en s a egic componen o aming in he
mo emen as well as obse ing he de elopmen o e nine
mon hs enabled me o analyze and con ex ualize aming
p ocesses, he ime ho izon in which he in e iews we e
conduc ed ( wo mon hs), being he p ima y sou ce o my
indings, ep esen s a a he sho snapsho o ime. I and
how he aming o LG will change o e ime and how he
mo emen will assess whe he he claimed c isis mode is es-
ablished equi es u he obse a ion. An in e es ing ques-
ion would be whe he he empo al ocus will shi back o
he u u e once he mo emen pe cei es ha a sha ed sense
o u gency is achie ed and how his a ec s aming s a e-
gies. While one plausible scena io could be ha LG ac s as
a empo a y o ganiza ion ha disbands upon comple ing i s
mission, an al e na i e scena io is ha he mo emen signi i-
can ly changes and akes on a new ole in he clima e change
discou se. Fu he mo e, I see he need o s udies ha in-
es iga e he socie al ou comes o pola izing aming s a e-
gies, e.g., in e ms o policy change (Zeng e al., 2019) o he
mobiliza ion o coun e -mo emen s (Somba poonsi i, 2023).
Fu u e esea ch could o example analyze aming con es s
o s udy he e ec i eness o non- esona ing ames (Nybe g
e al., 2020). In imes o c isis, he ques ion a ises as o how
much esonance is needed o os e change and whe he i is
su icien o solely add ess esonance on an emo ional le el,
e.g., by ac i a ing emo ions o ea and eg e (Gio gi, 2017).
In sum, I encou age u u e esea ch o c i ically e alua e es-
onance as he key mechanism o ame e ec i eness, pa -
icula ly wi hin ideological and poli ical con ex s (Gio gi &
Webe , 2015).
Ano he limi a ion s ems om he lack o obse a ional
da a o cap u e he complexi y o he phenomena. The ob-
se a ions I conduc ed solely had he objec i e o con ex ual-
ize and con as he eme ging indings. I did no obse e how
he pa icipan s pushed hei aming in ac ual si ua ions like
p o es s o cou hea ings and how pa icipan s ansla ed
he aming in ne wo king alks o c ea e an emo ional con-
nec ion. Fu u e esea ch could, he e o e, bene i om col-
lec ing i s -hand expe iences by a ending p o es s, in e nal
plannings, o ne wo king alks o u he nuance he ela ion
o empo ali y and aming p ocesses. Mo eo e , con as ing
eme ging indings wi h pe spec i es o c i ics o ellow cli-
ma e mo emen pa icipan s could p o ide aluable insigh s
S. Lüpni z /Junio Managemen Science 10(2) (2025) 349-368 367
in o he ex e nal e alua ion o he s a egy. Consequen ly,
and building on he call om Co nelissen and We ne (2014),
I encou age u u e esea ch o conduc e hnog aphies o e a
longe pe iod o come up wi h he complexi y o aming p o-
cesses and o en ich my indings.
O e all, his wo k should also be a call o managemen
and o ganiza ional s udies o inco po a e mo e s ongly a yp-
ical, o he han business- ela ed cases in hei esea ch. Es-
pecially in con ex s like clima e change ha imply a need
o change in he nea and dis an u u e, esea ch should
pu a s onge emphasis on ac o s who challenge dominan
belie s and igh o change, like en i onmen al mo emen s
(Gümüsay & Reinecke, 2022; Wenzel e al., 2020). Mo e-
o e , his case is a powe ul example o how highly o ganized
social mo emen s can be, especially when hey play a s ong
coun e pa o dominan belie s. Fu u e esea ch could in es-
iga e how mo emen s in imes o c isis each his le el o o -
ganiza ion ha goes beyond empo a ily achie ing ‘o ganiza-
ionali y’ h ough iden i y claims (Dobusch & Schoenebo n,
2015) o es ablishing bounda ies and cons an ac ionabili y
h ough s uc u e ha enables ac o s o build esilience o
socie al c i icism and nega i e e alua ions (Roule , 2020).
6. Concluding Though s
Humani y is cu en ly acing a sel -induced ye exis en-
ial c isis. Facing such a c isis equi es a adical ans o ma-
ion o socie y, pa icula ly ou economic sys em. Schola s
and p ac i ione s a e con on ed wi h he p essing ques ion
o how socie al change and poli ical ac ion can be o ganized
in ime o ensu e a sus ainable u u e. Al hough he neces-
si y o change has been acknowledged o qui e some ime,
he e is s ill an unde lying pe cep ion ha p og ess emains
insu icien . While he impe a i e o anscending he amil-
ia pa adigms o “business as usual” is appa en (W igh &
Nybe g, 2017), especially wi hin social ac o s like en i on-
men al mo emen s, clima e change as an ac ionable aming
is “indeed o eign o ou e y sense o being” (Nybe g e al.,
2020, p. 193).
This hesis sough ou o un a el he aming ac i i ies
o he en i onmen al mo emen LG in Ge many puzzled by
he seemingly s a ic and coun e p oduc i e s a egy. By ap-
plying a empo al lens, his s udy illus a ed he complexi y
o (s a egic) aming p ocesses. F aming clima e change
as a ca as ophe in ol ed a s ong ocus on he p esen and
nea undesi able u u e s a es among pa icipan s o he
mo emen . My indings show how he empo al cons uc-
ion shaped he s a egic aming p ocesses. To con ey he
sense o u gency, aming ac i i ies we e in pa s delibe -
a ely a ge ed a igge ing pola iza ion by non- esonance.
The e o e, he indings enhance esea ch on aming in social
mo emen s by demons a ing he cen ali y o ime and i s
consequences on s a egic aming p ocesses.
Mo eo e , he s udy holds aluable implica ions o he
discou se on ime and sus ainabili y, highligh ing he p ima y
challenge o cul i a ing a collec i e sense o u gency o os-
e ac ion in he ace o he escala ing clima e c isis. Ce ain
academic discou ses wi hin he ield, such as hose ocusing
on long- e m pe spec i es o desi able u u es, ound limi ed
applicabili y in his case. Ins ead, concep s o undesi able u-
u es and emo ionaliza ion ha esul ed in a p esen - ocused
app oach o clima e ac ion we e a mo e p ominen . On a i-
nal no e, e e ing o he in oduc o y quo e by he Sec e a y-
Gene al o he Uni ed Na ions An ónio Gu e es, “[ ]ime is no
longe on ou side”. This is u he ampli ied by powe ul and
a luen ac o s who a emp o slow down sus ainable de el-
opmen o hei own gain, leading o a p eca ious si ua ion
whe e “delay is he new denial” (p. 2) in he discou se on cli-
ma e ac ion (Shue, 2023). Agains he backd op o scien i ic
e idence, he u gency o edi ec ou discou se on sus ain-
abili y, bo h in academia and p ac ice, o he p esen and he
means o immedia e ac ion has likely ne e been mo e p ess-
ing. I hope his s udy can inspi e u u e esea ch o emb ace
he p esen - ime pe spec i e and ecognize he ele ance o
socie al ac o s like social mo emen s mo e s ongly.
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