Stakeholder management and path dependence in organizational transitions

This paper offers an explanatory process model of stakeholder management. The paper addresses important research gap, exploring how stakeholder-related path dependencies influence the of conflict escalation. Our theoretical work and a case illustration of the United Airlines US Airways abandoned merger demonstrate that initial conditions are accentuated by the of actions, offering a plausible explanation for process outcomes. On the practical side, paper provides a problem-solving tool for stakeholder management to analyze the stakeholder during strategic initiatives.