Authors:Juha-Antti Lamberg, Kalle Pajunen, Petri Parvinen and Grant T. Savage (2008).Download file: 'Stakeholder management and path dependence in organizational transitions'Management Decision 46:6, 846-863. Open access post-print version.

The abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an explanatory process model of stakeholder management. The model shows how and why path dependence is manifested in stakeholder management issues.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates stakeholder theory with key ideas from path dependence literature. The resulting propositions are examined in the context of a longitudinal case study of the United Airlines and US Airways abandoned merger in 2000-2001

Findings – The paper's analysis demonstrates that initial conditions are accentuated by the sequence of actions, offering a plausible explanation for process outcomes.

Practical implications – On the practical side, the paper provides a problem-solving tool for stakeholder management to analyze the stakeholder linkages during strategic initiatives.

Originality/value – The paper addresses an important research gap, exploring how stakeholder-related path dependencies influence the process of conflict escalation.