How to build a time machine for public affairs executives

Temporal factors such as time and timing are so self-evident in public affairs that they are rarely mentioned and even less frequently researched. Time is seen as the independent variable-a scaffold that underpins a calendar of communication events, legislative and regulatory processes, or issue lifecycles. However, time is a more complex and essential variable to contemplate than public affairs (and most other) executives give it credit for. This paper explores 16 unique ways to think about time, applying those dimensions to the Amazon HQ2 (second headquarters) selection process to illustrate how public affairs executives could use them to illuminate aspects of strategy and behavior they might otherwise not consider. Strategically, understanding interconnected dimensions of time improves clarity in the choice-making process, allowing public affairs executives to exploit ideal timing as they execute their strategies.