The article "Imprinting: Toward a Multilevel Theory" by Christopher Marquis and András Tilcsik provides a critical review of the concept of imprinting across various fields, including organizational ecology, institutional theory, network analysis, and career research. The authors aim to clarify the nature of imprinting, integrate disparate literatures, and guide research toward a multilevel theory. They define imprinting as a process where a focal entity develops characteristics reflecting prominent environmental features during a brief, sensitive period, which persist despite subsequent environmental changes. The framework integrates research at four levels: organizational collectives, single organizations, organizational building blocks, and individuals. The article discusses the dynamics of imprinting, the persistence of imprints, and the implications of imprinting, highlighting the importance of a historical perspective in organizational studies. The authors also distinguish imprinting from related concepts like path dependence and cohort effects, emphasizing that imprinting involves prominent environmental conditions, short sensitive periods, and the stability of stamped-in features. The article concludes with a general theoretical model that captures key mechanisms, consequences, and contingencies of imprinting across different levels of analysis.The article "Imprinting: Toward a Multilevel Theory" by Christopher Marquis and András Tilcsik provides a critical review of the concept of imprinting across various fields, including organizational ecology, institutional theory, network analysis, and career research. The authors aim to clarify the nature of imprinting, integrate disparate literatures, and guide research toward a multilevel theory. They define imprinting as a process where a focal entity develops characteristics reflecting prominent environmental features during a brief, sensitive period, which persist despite subsequent environmental changes. The framework integrates research at four levels: organizational collectives, single organizations, organizational building blocks, and individuals. The article discusses the dynamics of imprinting, the persistence of imprints, and the implications of imprinting, highlighting the importance of a historical perspective in organizational studies. The authors also distinguish imprinting from related concepts like path dependence and cohort effects, emphasizing that imprinting involves prominent environmental conditions, short sensitive periods, and the stability of stamped-in features. The article concludes with a general theoretical model that captures key mechanisms, consequences, and contingencies of imprinting across different levels of analysis.