Blaiming lock-in on historical accident erases entrepreneurs’ active role in shaping paths

Evidence

It should be noted, however, that the path-dependence perspective itself is not immune from criticism. The approach is, for instance, criticized for often attributing the inefficiencies that emerge as a result of lock-ins to ‘historical accidents.’ Doing so indeed minimizes the role firms and entrepreneurs play in creating and shaping their environment. Seeing firms and entrepreneurs not as passive respondents but as influencers and shapers of their environments in turn makes it possible to talk about ‘path creation’ (Garud and Karnøe, 2001; Stack and Gartland, 2003, p. 489). Otherwise, it is argued, path dependence begins to sound like a form of historical determinism (Greener, 2002, p. 614). — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence, 815

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The path-creation critique reframes determinism itself as an analyst’s choice, not a feature of history.