Imprinting: Toward a Multilevel Theory

Abstract

The concept of imprinting has attracted considerable interest in numerous fields-including organizational ecology, institutional theory, network analysis, and career research-and has been applied at several levels of analysis, from the industry to the individual. This article offers a critical review of this rich yet disparate literature and guides research toward a multilevel theory of imprinting. We start with a definition that captures the general features of imprinting across levels of analysis but is precise enough to remain distinct from seemingly similar concepts, such as path dependence and cohort effects. We then provide a framework to order and unite the splintered field of imprinting research at different levels of analysis. In doing so, we identify economic, technological, institutional, and individual influences that lead to imprints at the level of (a) organizational collectives, (b) single * Corresponding author. Email: cmarquis@hbs.eduThe Academy of Management Annals, 2013 Vol. 7, No. 1, 193-243, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2013

Sink or Swim: The Role of Workplace Context in Shaping Career Advancement and Human-Capital Development

“…Second, though the empirical literature on imprinting is relatively focused on resource imprinting, our study shows that challenge in initial conditions can stem from other environmental factors related to social and political conditions. This finding is in keeping with the broader imprinting literature, and with the characterization of the environment as a varied n-dimensional space in which a set of economic, technological, and other conditions jointly constitute the imprint of the period (Marquis and Tilcsik 2013). Third, our secondary findings on acquisition of specific skills during deployment to a challenging context are related to the construct of "exaptation" in the imprinting literature (Higgins 2005, Marquis andHuang 2010), a process whereby a capability developed as an adaptive response to initial conditions later becomes useful for a different purpose.…”

“…throughout their careers (Becker 1964). Early-career individuals are more susceptible to environmental influence (Marquis and Tilcsik 2013) and to learning new skills, work routines, and practices, and these influences persist through their careers. Early professional training influences individuals' norms and habits (Bercovitz and Feldman 2008) and their likelihood of adopting certain types of organizational practices; early social networks and socialization also influence subsequent career decisions (McEvily et al 2012;Phillips, 2005).…”

"Stamps of Power and Conflict: Imprinting and Influence in the U.S. Senate, 1973-2009"

“…another "sensitive period" of role adjustment in a new institutional setting (Marquis and Tilcsik 2013). In our data, senators, many of whom entered the legislative body after long careers in multiple organizational settings, still appeared to be affected by their initial experiences with power at the time of entry.…”

“…In particular, we argue that entry to the U.S. Senate often marks a "sensitive period" marked by a significant role transition-even for those who have previously held important public leadership roles (Marquis and Tilcsik 2013). For example, biographies of Lyndon Johnson (Caro 2002), Dan Quayle (Fenno 1989), and Arlen Specter (Fenno 1991), among others, indicate that newly minted senators-even those with considerable prior political experience-often feel uncertain and anxious about what the role entails on a day-to-day basis and how they are expected to act by the many constituencies they have to manage (e.g., fellow senators, senior party leaders, constituents in their home state, special interest groups, the press).…”

International project finance: review and implications for international finance and international business

“…In addition, the special purpose nature of PF means that the project company and its' governance structure is initiated as a clean sheet and for a clearly defined special purpose. Hence, it is influenced to a much lesser extent by pre-existing structures and corporate imprinting (Marquis 2003;Marquis and Tilcsik 2013). In PF, partners join to create a new venture under a tailored governance structure.…”