What’s Past Is Prologue A Framework, Review, and Future Directions for Organizational Research on Imprinting

Organizational researchers have long used imprinting as a theoretical lens for a historically embedded understanding of diverse, significant phenomena for explanatory, evaluative, and managerial purposes. The intuitive appeal of imprinting has facilitated its widespread diffusion throughout numerous...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of management Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 288 - 317
Main Authors: Simsek, Zeki, Fox, Brian Curtis, Heavey, Ciaran
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2015
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects:
Contextual analysis
Dynamics
Evolution
Frame analysis
Imprinting
Management
Management science
Management theory
Operations research
Organizational behavior
Organizational change
Organizational research
Research applications
Segmentation
Studies
Systematic review
organizational change
sensitive period
inertia
dynamics
imprinting
historical conditions
path dependence
initial conditions
evolution
ISSN:0149-2063, 1557-1211
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Organizational researchers have long used imprinting as a theoretical lens for a historically embedded understanding of diverse, significant phenomena for explanatory, evaluative, and managerial purposes. The intuitive appeal of imprinting has facilitated its widespread diffusion throughout numerous disciplines and research fields, but the growing fragmentation of associated theory and evidence has blurred our understanding of the nature, sources, and mechanisms of imprinting as well as the context in which imprinting shapes the behavior and outcomes of distinct entities. To address these issues, we begin by developing a framework for generalizing theoretical constructs, statements, and relationships across levels of analysis, contexts, and disciplinary boundaries. Using the core themes of this framework, we next provide a systematic review of 119 imprinting studies allowing for more definitive statements about what we know, do not know, and should know about imprinting. Finally, by building on the review, together with the proposed framework, we chart a focused course for future inquiry and applications for organizational research on imprinting.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 14
ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0149-2063
1557-1211
DOI:10.1177/0149206314553276