Institutionalization deliberately suppresses alternative thinking to drive organizational success.

Evidence

Institutionalization can be reinterpreted as the active nurturing of path-dependence processes. It purposefully saps the abilities of both members and constituents to consider alternative ways of thinking and acting; it provides a forceful and legitimate argument for pursuing the course. Success thus guarantees more success, and institutions come into being. Path dependence is almost a condition for achieving success. — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence, 313

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Reframes institutional creation as the intentional cultivation of blindness rather than a neutral byproduct — path dependence becomes a prerequisite for success, not a failure mode.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s kept highlights about institutional legitimacy and to trust-regime work where early rigidity determines later adaptability. — connects to: Organizations survive by abandoning goals that threaten their existence — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 66