Paths eventually end, but lock-in can outlast the organization trapped in it

Evidence

It is true that no path is forever, but this is no relief from the perspective of a particular organization, since path dependence may exist for quite some time. — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 97

Categorization

• APHORISMS: A compact piece of strategic wisdom: the theoretical escape from a path is cold comfort to the firm that must survive it first.
• XREF: connects to: Organizations survive by abandoning goals that threaten their existence — Robert B. McCalla, NATO’s persistence after the cold war, 66