Whereas strategy research has begun to clarify how practices as well as capabilities affect routines, much less is known about the capabilitypractice relationship, in particular the activities that shapes the environment. How do practice influence the shaping-effect of capabilities while breaking with the past? To examine this question, I pursue theory development and draw on empirical data from Ericsson and ABB. Based on a polar cross-case comparison with strong replication of evidence, two key categories emerged from a data-set of 5.000 documents including 625 verbatim transcripts from 29 interviews. The study shows that managers’ use symbolic capital in strategizing that changes a capability rather than a routine-component. To theorize this finding, the Bourdieusian perspective provided useful frame of reference to develop compelling theory.