IMPRINT PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY: A CASE OF CEOs’ MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND FIRM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LEGAL ENGAGEMENTS

Prior studies based on imprinting theory have primarily adopted a static perspective when investigating the influences of imprinting effects on organizational consequences. In this study, we introduce the concept of “imprint phenotypic plasticity” to provide a more dynamic framework to explain variations in imprint manifestations across contexts while prior imprints remain persistent. To demonstrate such a mechanism, we investigate how CEOs’ military imprints generate different implications for firm intellectual property (IP) infringement and litigation orientations and how these imprint implications are then shaped by institutional logics to manifest in organizational outcomes. Drawing on data from 2,513 firms across 29 provinces in China between 2006 and 2021, we find that firms led by ex-military CEOs are less likely to engage in IP infringement and more inclined to initiate IP litigation. These implications are then shaped by the state and Confucian institutional logics. Our study advances the literature by introducing a dynamic perspective on imprinting manifestations and sheds new light on the integration of imprinting and institutional theory.

既往基于烙印理论（imprinting theory）的研究在考察烙印效应对组织后果的影响时，大多采用静态研究视角。本研究引入‘烙印表型可塑性’（imprint phenotypic plasticity）概念，构建更具动态性的分析框架，用以解释在既往烙印持续存续的前提下，烙印表现在不同情境下的差异。为验证该机制，本研究探讨CEO的军旅烙印如何对企业知识产权（IP）侵权行为与诉讼倾向产生差异化影响，并进一步分析这些烙印效应如何受制度逻辑塑造，最终体现在组织结果之中。本研究依托2006年至2021年中国29个省份的2513家企业样本数据，研究发现：由退役军人CEO执掌的企业，其知识产权侵权行为发生率更低，且更倾向于发起知识产权诉讼。上述烙印效应会受到国家与儒家制度逻辑的塑造。本研究通过引入烙印表现的动态视角，推动了烙印理论相关研究的发展，并为烙印理论与制度理论的融合研究提供了全新的学术见解。