Industry evolution (ir)regularities: Do we need a more general/unified theory?

In this panel symposium, we aim to stimulate a rich discussion on theories of industry evolution. Building on the work of scholars such as Abernathy, Agarwal, Klepper, and Utterback, researchers have explained common patterns of industry evolution that occur in a wide range of industries. Recently there has been a resurgence of research effort, from various disciplinary perspectives, that focuses on inconsistencies across industries and raises attention to irregularities where patterns do not follow the theory. In this symposium, we will draw on this research to explore where improvements in theories of industry evolution are possible. Briefly going over what have we have learned on industry evolution so far, we will focus on irregularities; when and why they are likely to take place, how we can explain them, and whether they can be incorporated in a more general theory of industry evolution.