Inscribed Strategies: Exploring the Organizational Nature of Strategic Lock-in

Abstract

An organization’s ability to act strategically under conditions of path dependence relies not only on the particular form of a strategic path but also on how this path is inscribed in an organization. To achieve a better understanding of this process, we shall introduce the concept of strategic path inscription and distinguish between mechanism inscription and pattern inscription. By referring to power, and formal and informal structures, the paper explores dimensions of the organizational context and its relation to strategic path inscription. The paper draws on an empirical study contrasting two established newspaper publishing organizations based in Germany. The comparative analysis of these cases reveals that in both organizations there are different forms of strategic pattern inscription but very similar forms of mechanism inscription. It is argued that the analysis of pattern inscription reveals much about the organizational nature of strategic lock-ins and, consequently, the range of variety that remains available to an organization after a specific path has emerged.

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