Premium
Configurations of Capacity for Change in Entrepreneurial Threshold Firms: Imprinting and Strategic Choice Perspectives
Author(s) -
Judge William Q.,
Hu Helen W.,
Gabrielsson Jonas,
Talaulicar Till,
Witt Michael A.,
Zattoni Alessandro,
LópezIturriaga Félix,
Chen Jean Jingham,
Shukla Dhirendra,
Quttainah Majdi,
Adegbite Emmanuel,
Luis Rivas José,
Kibler Bruce
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/joms.12121
Subject(s) - imprinting (psychology) , interdependence , business , organizational change , industrial organization , marketing , public relations , sociology , social science , biochemistry , chemistry , political science , gene
Imprinting theory suggests that founding conditions are ‘stamped’ on organizations, and these imprinted routines often resist change. In contrast, strategic choice theory suggests that the firm can overcome organizational inertia and deliberately choose its future. Both theories offer dramatically different explanations behind an organization's capacity for change. IPO firms provide a unique context for exploring how imprinting forces interact with strategic choice factors to address organizational capacity for change as a firm moves from private to public firm status. Juxtaposing imprinting and strategic choice perspectives, we employ fuzzy set analysis to examine the multi‐level determinants of organizational capacity for change. Our cross‐national data reveal three effective configurations of organizational capacity for change within IPOs, and two ineffective configurations. Our results suggest that the antecedents of organizational capacity for change in entrepreneurial threshold firms are non‐linear, interdependent, and equifinal.