Julia Todea

• Research on organizational path dependence often overlooks the self-reinforcing mechanisms at its core. This study examines how these mechanisms develop and persist by applying a practice-based perspective centered on everyday organizing. Drawing on a qualitative single-case study of a multinational logistics and storage company undergoing an organization wide transformation, the analysis identifies six recurring practices (inquiring, framing, mobilizing, innovating, structuring and deciding) that constitute the four mechanisms of learning, coordination, complementarity and adaptive expectations. These practices form specific constellations that give the self-reinforcing mechanisms a recognizable gestalt. As practice intensities and effects shift during the path development process, the mechanisms appear as practice-effects rooted in situated doings and sayings rather than autonomous forces. The study also identifies a dual feedback logic in which positive feedback stabilizes emerging patterns, while inquiry-based negative feedback propels the process forward and keeps the path adaptive; a form of distributed agency in which attention and energy travel across practices; the insight that stability and change are produced by the same practices; and an understanding of lock-in as a continuum of practice thickening and cognitive sedimentation. This research therefore advances a 'life lived forward perspective' on path dependence that goes beyond ex-post explanations. It specifies the micro-foundations of self-reinforcement, offers a practice-based account of how organizational paths take shape over time, and provides actionable insights for managers on how to recognize, monitor and redirect self-reinforcing dynamics during strategic transformation.