Abstract
We offer an organizational lineage inheritance theoretical framework for understanding the longevity of imprinting effects of two consecutive eras with distinct environmental conditions, values, and norms. Adopting a genealogical approach, we find that erabased imprinting is contingent on lineage-based transmissions. Era-based initial conditions strongly influence the entrepreneurial proclivity of the first generation of firms but have no influence on subsequent generations, and each generation is influenced by the entrepreneurial proclivity of the former. We show two mediation effects and one moderation effect, supporting our theoretical argument that the longevity of imprinting effects is due to heredity processes. First, the effect of era-based initial conditions on the entrepreneurial proclivity of the second generation is mediated by the entrepreneurial proclivity of the first generation. The effect of the entrepreneurial proclivity of the first generation on the third-generation's entrepreneurial proclivity is mediated by the entrepreneurial proclivity of the second generation. Second, a mismatch between the mental models of the knowledge-transmitting agents (the founders) and the knowledgereceiving agents (organization members - prospective entrepreneurs) moderates the effect of the entrepreneurial proclivity of one generation on the entrepreneurial proclivity of the next.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 500-522 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Academy of Management Journal |
Volume | 60 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2017 |
Funding
The first and second authors contributed equally to this paper.We would like to acknowledge Mark Gruber and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments on earlier versions of the article. Further, we would like to acknowledge the following institutes for their help with funding support of the research: Eli Hurvitz Institute of Strategic Management, Israel Science Foundation (grant number 1545/08), the Colman College of Management, the Henry Crown Institute of Business Research in Israel, and the William Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship at the Stern School of Business.
Funders | Funder number |
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Colman College of Management | |
Eli Hurvitz Institute of Strategic Management, Israel Science Foundation | 1545/08 |
Henry Crown Institute of Business Research in Israel | |
William Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship |