Path dependence has become the dominant lens for explaining organizational rigidity.

Evidence

There seems to be a broadly shared feeling that we need to understand better how organizations can lose their flexibility and become inert or even locked in. Among the most conceptions, referred to path dependence has recently gained prominence. Many contributions refer to path dependence to illuminate organizational rigidities, stickiness, or inflexibility. — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 3

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes broader ‘history matters’ arguments (economic history, institutional theory) and inertia research in management.