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In my dissertation that is recognized with multiple awards, I used the American movie theater industry (1896-2020) as my empirical context to investigate how the different interpretations of the meaning of a new technology (e.g., movie projection, TV broadcasting, and streaming technologies) in various geographic communities shape localized dynamics of movie theaters' entry, survival, and change. A 5-page summary of the whole dissertation can be found here. The two published chapters at the Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Organization are summarized on this page. The two other chapters are undergoing the review process at Strategic Management Journal. Outside of the dissertation, I am working on projects extending my research interests in unique settings such as Chinese movies, American film sound transition, video games, coffee houses, etc.
Li, Y., & Khessina, O.M. 2024. Before Birth: How Provisional Spaces Shape the Localized Emergence of New Organizational Forms. Academy of Management Journal. 67, 494-525. (Request a copy on Research Gate.)
You may find this article useful if you are a researcher interested in: industry emergence, organizational form, socio-cognitive perspective on technology, micro-geography, local communities, space and place, entrepreneurial experimentation, event history analysis, historical study, and creative industries.
Abstract: The literature on evolution of organizational forms remains largely silent on where the first organizational instance of a new form comes from, treating it either as a given or as an outcome of random variation. We challenge this agnostic assumption by putting the first organizational founding into a specific spatio-temporal context and revealing the role of provisional spaces, defined as small-scale, easily accessible settings where market pioneers temporarily experiment with applications of an innovation before dedicated organizations emerge. We theorize that provisional spaces disseminate necessary information about an innovation and enable potential entrepreneurs to envision a new template for organizing. Therefore, geographic communities with a higher number of provisional spaces are more likely to host the first organization embodying a new form sooner than others. Using archival data on all movie-showing venues in Chicago communities, 1896-1927, we find empirical support to our theorizing. Community variance in volume and types of provisional spaces for movie projectors, such as opera houses and penny arcades, led to community-level differences in the emergence of distinct movie theater forms: nickelodeon, movie house, and movie palace. This study advances scholarship on organizational form emergence by uncovering the role of provisional spaces in shaping localized opportunity structures.
Did you know, before the first movie theater was founded, that people watched movies in all sorts of places like opera houses and dime museums? What is the role of those "provisional spaces," where innovation pioneers temporarily experiment with the application of a new technology, in the emergence of the first instance of a new organizational form? Check out my research that answers this question and demystifies the origin of the first organization of a new kind!
Did you know, before the first movie theater was founded, that people watched movies in all sorts of places like opera houses and dime museums? What is the role of those "provisional spaces," where innovation pioneers temporarily experiment with the application of a new technology, in the emergence of the first instance of a new organizational form? Check out my research that answers this question and demystifies the origin of the first organization of a new kind!
Li, Y. 2023. Its name suggests it belongs here: The power of a community namesake in decreasing founding rates during industry emergence. Strategic Organization, 21(1), 217–247. (Check out this full special issue if you're interested in more about categories and places)
You may find this article useful if you are a researcher interested in: industry emergence, micro-geography, organizational naming, market entry, categorization, materiality (organizational buildings and architecture), and creative industries.
Upper picture: The Chicago Theatre, a namesake of the City of Chicago, is "an unofficial emblem of the city" (by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks).
Picture below: The Chicago community map with locations of movie theaters (1905-1927) plotted.
Picture below: The Chicago community map with locations of movie theaters (1905-1927) plotted.
Have you ever wondered whether organizational name matters? My research shows that naming your organization after the local community helps you deter new entrants during industry emergence. (spoiler alert: architecture also matters!)
Have you ever wondered whether organizational name matters? My research shows that naming your organization after the local community helps you deter new entrants during industry emergence. (spoiler alert: architecture also matters!)
Abstract: This study investigates the power of a community namesake, defined as an organization named after the geographic community, in discouraging potential entrants from entering the local market during industry emergence. I argue that the presence of a community namesake is likely to make potential entrants anticipate stronger competition, because they tend to believe that the local membership proudly claimed by the namesake may drive community stakeholders to reciprocate the namesake with disproportionally more resources. During industry emergence, when there lacks objective information on competitive intensity, the presence of a community namesake can be a sufficient cue of a high local entry barrier that deters potential entrants, resulting in lower founding rates during the post-namesake period at the level of communities. I further predict that the namesakes’ symbolic power should vary depending on their material forms. Material forms that corroborate (i.e. through purpose-built buildings) or make salient (i.e. through visually prominent architectures) the namesakes’ claimed local membership should decrease founding rates to a higher degree. The analysis of the emergence of historical movie theaters in Chicago communities, 1905–1927, provides empirical support to the theorizing.
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