I think in this small passage from Rhythmanalysis, Henri Lefebvre manages to flesh out a little of the teleology of change that I am interested in. He states:

Social times disclose diverse, contradictory possibilities: delays and early arrivals, reappearances (repetitions) of an (apparently) rich past, and revolutions that brusquely introduce a new content and sometimes change the form of society.  Historical times slow down or speed up, advance or regress, look forward or backward.. ..Objectively, for there to be change, a social group, a class or caste must intervene by imprinting a rhythm on an era, be it through force or an insinuating manner.  In the course of a crisis, in a critical situation, a group must designate itself as an innovator or producer of meaning.  And its acts must inscribe themselves on reality.    (14)

Another quote via the Microsound email list: