Unpacking the imprint of a crisis: Performing arts organizations faced with COVID-19[Décrypter l’empreinte d’une crise : les organisations du spectacle vivant face à la Covid-19]

The lasting effects of COVID-19 on organizations have recently been documented. However, the underlying modalities of such effects remain under-explored. This article uses imprinting theory to analyze the imprint left by the COVID-19 crisis on organizations and to answer the following question: How has the COVID-19 crisis imprinted organizations? To answer this question, we study two performing arts organizations—a chamber music ensemble and a national opera company—using a combination of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and secondary data analysis. We reveal two distinct forms of imprint—sedimented and essentialized—emerging through three modalities of imprinting (COVID-19 as repertoire, echo, and impulse) through which the crisis affected the organizations. We contribute to the literature on imprinting theory in three ways: We document the imprint of a crisis, conceptualize a new logic of re-imprinting—by subtraction—and specify how the cognitive and structural imprints interact. Finally, we discuss the managerial implications when dealing with crises.