Imprinting and Organizational Path Dependence : Studying similarities, differences, and connections between two concepts along the case of a large Swedish bank

Imprinting and organizational path dependence are two concepts describing specific inertial phenomena in organizations. Little work has so far been done to explore how these two concepts and the phenomena they denote relate to one another. The present paper aims at elaborating on this topic, studying the case of the Swedish bank Handelsbanken. The bank went through a turnaround in the early 1970s when a new managing director imprinted an innovative management philosophy on the organization. Many key features of this philosophy have survived until today. The paper shows that while reproducing imprints, processes similar to those creating organizational paths can be observed. Imprints are subsequently strengthened through self-reinforcing mechanisms that may eventually lead to a lock-in of the imprints.