Emotional attachment by leaders fuels inertial self-perceptions that block change.

Evidence

Organizations frequently resist reflecting on hidden features. For instance, in their analysis of the Intel case, Burgelman and Grove (1996: 15) found that “emotional attachment on the part of the top management to the business” was intertwined with inertial selfperceptions. — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 105

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the Intel memory-business exit case, widely cited in strategy teaching as a case of emotional lock-in at the top.