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Imprinting

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management

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FormalPara Definition

Based on the concept of imprinting from biology, Stinchcombe (1965) argued that organizations adopt characteristics that are typical or appropriate in their social environments at the time of founding. Considerable historical evidence consistent with this hypothesis has demonstrated that organizations from the same historical cohorts and regions are disproportionately similar.

Organizations and Imprinting

The term imprinting entered the lexicon of organization theory when Stinchcombe (1965: 169) argued that the historically specific resources available at the time of founding shape firms and organizations. These founding structures and processes survive far into the future because forces such as tradition, vested interests and ideology make change difficult, especially after an organization has succeeded at a level sufficient to permit its survival. As Johnson (2007: 98) noted, the imprinting hypothesis encompasses two distinct sets of processes. The first links...

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References

  • Dobrev, S., and A. Gotsopoulous. 2010. Legitimacy vacuum, structural imprinting, and the first mover disadvantage. Academy of Management Journal 53: 1153–1174.

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  • Johnson, V. 2007. What is organizational imprinting? Cultural entrepreneurship in the founding of the Paris Opera. American Journal of Sociology 113: 97–127.

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  • Kriauciunas, A., and P. Kale. 2006. The impact of socialist imprinting and search on resource change: A study of firms in Lithuania. Strategic Management Journal 27: 659–679.

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  • Marquis, C. 2003. The pressure of the past: Network imprinting in intercorporate communities. Administrative Science Quarterly 48: 655–689.

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  • McEvily, B. 2012. Not all bridging ties are equal: Network imprinting and firm growth in the Nashville legal industry, 1933–1978. Organization Science 23: 547–563.

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  • Milanov, H., and S.A. Fernhaber. 2009. The impact of early imprinting on the evolution of new venture networks. Journal of Business Venturing 24: 46–61.

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  • Stinchcombe, Arthur L. 1965. Social structure and organizations. In Handbook of organizations, ed. James G. March. New York: Rand McNally.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSTEAD, Abu Dhabi Campus, P O Box 48049, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Stephen Mezias

Authors
  1. Stephen Mezias
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Correspondence to Stephen Mezias .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University , Stanford, California, USA

    Mie Augier

  2. Tusher Ctr Intellectual Capital, University of California Tusher Ctr Intellectual Capital, Berkeley, California, USA

    David J. Teece

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© 2016 The Author(s)

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Mezias, S. (2016). Imprinting. In: Augier, M., Teece, D. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_607-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_607-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-94848-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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