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Billables

The Valorization of Time in Consulting

Michigan State University

This article describes the transformation of time into money in information technology consulting work. Using data collected through participant observation, this article illustrates the valorization of time, whereby time is transformed into units of value, known as billables. Focusing on the process of valorization provides new theoretical insight into the social construction of time as money. Routine billing practices help sustain the taken-for-granted equivalence of time and money, but these practices are strongly influenced by a variety of normative and situational factors. Billables are used by consulting firms to measure performance and control work, but the evidence presented here suggests that time-based measures of work and value can be somewhat arbitrary.

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