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Call for Papers Sub-theme 31:
Imprints from the Past: Organizational Path Dependencies
26nd EGOS Colloquium, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Lisbon</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"> Portugal</st1:country-region></st1:place>
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Conveners:
Georg Schreyögg, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Martin Stack, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rockhurst University</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.A.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Jörg Sydow, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Submission:
Please submit a Short Paper (max. 3,000 words) via the EGOS Website until January 10, 2010. Short papers should focus on the main ideas of the paper. If the short paper is accepted, the full version must be submitted by May 31, 2010.
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In this sub-theme we discuss imprints from the past on organizations and organizational behavior. A special focus is on the development of individual and collective path dependencies in and between organizations. The sub-theme seeks to bring together researchers from all over the world who study historical imprints on organizing activities, self-reinforcing processes, lock-ins, etc. in order to foster exchange of theoretical ideas and empirical insights that might be conducive to further understanding the historicity and evolution of organizations and interorganizational relations in a global economy.
The research field of historical imprinting and path dependence is rapidly developing on various levels: individual, organizational, interorganizational, organizational field, regional, and societal, embedded in different institutional environments and numerous strategic contexts. The sub-theme invites contributions that address one or more of the following issues or similar issues:
· The role of initial conditions, both internal or external, for the subsequent development of the organization;
· Repetition as persistence in organizing (e.g. structural inertia, escalating commitment in organizational decision making, and its performance implications);
· Forms of organizational paths and their development over time (history as imprinting mindset), including within a multinational context;
· Analysis of inter-organizational paths, focusing, e.g., on science-industry relations, global alliances, regional clusters;
· Dynamics of path-building, focusing in particular on mechanisms such as "small events", self-reinforcing mechanisms, and lock-in;
· The interplay among persistencies between different levels of analysis (individual, group, organizational, network, field, region, society) and the various mechanisms that link these levels;
· Processes and process patterns that are likely to vary historical persistencies or to unlock path dependencies considering both intentional and unintentional activities (e.g. path-breaking events, break outs, paradoxical interventions, or unlearning);
The sub-theme intends to foster an exchange of theoretical ideas and empirical research across various issues that are important for meeting the challenge of theorizing organizational imprints and path dependencies. Papers that discuss such substantive issues, and possibly others, empirically or conceptually, comparatively or monographically, with regard to recent or more historical developments, are cordially invited.
The sub-theme wishes to attract both high-quality contributions that are ready to be submitted to a research journal as well as research in progress that explores challenging issues in imprinting and path research. It seeks to provide an opportunity for engaging in constructive dialogue and to encourage mutual learning among the participating scholars. Papers will be distributed in advance of the Colloquium. All paper presentations will be commented by a discussant from the group. Session leaders will provide an open and encouraging atmosphere for discussion. Special discussants will be asked to summarize the discussions of at the end of each of three days thereby cutting across the various papers presented on that day.
For further information visit:
http://www.egosnet.org/jart/prj3/egosnet/main.jart?rel=en&content-id=1252389568509&reserve-mode=active
Joerg Sydow, Freie Universitaet Berlin
joerg.sydow@fu-berlin.de