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The Liminality of Trajectory Shifts in Institutional Entrepreneurship

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  • Ola Henfridsson

    (Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom)

  • Youngjin Yoo

    (Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122)

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a process model of trajectory shifts in institutional entrepreneurship. We focus on the liminal periods experienced by institutional entrepreneurs when they, unlike the rest of the organization, recognize limits in the present and seek to shift a familiar past into an unfamiliar and uncertain future. Such periods involve a situation where the new possible future, not yet fully formed, exists side-by-side with established innovation trajectories. Trajectory shifts are moments of truth for institutional entrepreneurs, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms of how entrepreneurs reflectively deal with liminality to conceive and bring forth new innovation trajectories. Our in-depth case study research at CarCorp traces three such mechanisms (reflective dissension, imaginative projection, and eliminatory exploration) and builds the basis for understanding the liminality of trajectory shifts. The paper offers theoretical implications for the institutional entrepreneurship literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Ola Henfridsson & Youngjin Yoo, 2014. "The Liminality of Trajectory Shifts in Institutional Entrepreneurship," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 932-950, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:25:y:2014:i:3:p:932-950
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2013.0883
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    15. Frederik von Briel & Per Davidsson & Jan Recker, 2018. "Digital Technologies as External Enablers of New Venture Creation in the IT Hardware Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(1), pages 47-69, January.
    16. Julian Lehmann & Jan Recker, 2022. "Offerings That are “Ever-in-the-Making”," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(1), pages 69-89, February.
    17. Lena Kessel & Lorenz Graf-Vlachy, 2022. "Chief digital officers: the state of the art and the road ahead," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 1249-1286, December.
    18. Antonopoulou, Katerina & Begkos, Christos, 2020. "Strategizing for digital innovations: Value propositions for transcending market boundaries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    19. Sebastian Firk & André Hanelt & Jana Oehmichen & Michael Wolff, 2021. "Chief Digital Officers: An Analysis of the Presence of a Centralized Digital Transformation Role," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(7), pages 1800-1831, November.
    20. Garcia-Lorenzo, Lucia & Donnelly, Paul & Sell-Trujillo, Lucia & Imas, J. Miguel, 2018. "Liminal entrepreneuring: the creative practices of nascent necessity entrepreneurs," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 85141, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    21. Sam Ruiqing Cao & Marco Iansiti, 2022. "Organizational Barriers to Transforming Large Finance Corporations: Cloud Adoption and the Importance of Technological Architecture," CESifo Working Paper Series 10142, CESifo.

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