Path Dependencies in Project-Based Organizing: Evidence from Television Production in Germany

Abstract

Project-based organizing is sometimes seen as a panaceaagainst strategic persistence and structural inertia. This paper arguesthat, due to stable relations and timeworn routines in particular, thesepersistencies also arise in project organizations, even in project networksand project ecologies, which are often considered even more flexible forms of project-based organizing. Taking the example of the Germantelevision industry, the paper shows that some of these persistencies mayeven amount to path dependencies that are quite contradictory from aneconomic perspective. While it seems highly efficient to follow and exploit an organizational path chosen, this very path may also lead to a lock-in.

Key Words:

• project management
• path dependence
• inertia
• flexibility
• television