Path dependence, initial conditions, and routines in organizations: The Toyota production system re‐examined

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to disentangle and elaborate on the constitutive elements of the concept of path dependence (initial conditions and lock‐in) for a concerted and in‐depth application to the study of organizational change.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of a combination of a longitudinal and a comparative case‐study, based on secondary literature.

Findings

External initial conditions acted less as “imprinting” forces than is suggested in the literature on the genesis of the Toyota production system (TPS); a firm‐specific philosophy in combination with a critical sequence of events mainly shaped and locked‐in TPS.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical sources are limited to publications in English, so relevant factors explaining the path taken may not all have been included. The importance of a salient meta‐routine might be firm‐specific.

Practical implications

The study contributes to understanding the factors underlying corporate performance by a critical re‐examination of a much heralded production system (TPS).

Originality/value

The paper highlights the use of the concept of meta‐routines to connect the core elements of path dependence, that is, sensitivity to initial conditions and lock‐in mechanisms.

Citation

van Driel, H. and Dolfsma, W. (2009), "Path dependence, initial conditions, and routines in organizations: The Toyota production system re‐examined", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 49-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810910933906