The value and dangers of remembrance in changing worlds: a model of cognitive and operational memory of organizations (original) (raw)

A model of cognitive and operational memory of organizations in changing worlds

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An Analysis of Remembrance of Things Past? The Dynamics of Organizational Forgetting

The purpose of this article is to determine if the focus on organizational learning has obscured the equally important process of organizational forgetting. In addition, the authors seek to determine if organizational learning needs to be complemented by a much clearer idea of how, and under what circumstances, organizations forget, unlearn, and lose knowledge.

A Literature Review on Organizational Memory from 1991 to 2021

Proceedings of the ... International Management Conference, 2023

Organizational memory has been found among the organization's characteristics outlined through organizational learning and knowledge management literature in the last three decades. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the nature, the place, and the role of the organizational memory from an examination of the literature starting with the year 1991, when Walsh and Ungson published, in a reference work for researchers, the first major contribution to the development of the concept. Our analysis has found 213 papers that from their title appeared to be dedicated to the study of the organizational memory, revealing three approaches towards the definition of the memory: based on the content, the structure, or hybrid (content and structure).

Organizational Amnesia: The Barrier to Organizational Learning

2001

As a concept, organizational learning has been around since as early as 1965 . However, it is in the last decade that the concept has attracted more attention as researchers seek to understand and develop theoretical models on how to increase organizational adaptive ness. Organizations can only adapt as fast as they can learn. As the rate of change accelerates, yesterday's accomplishments and today's success do not guarantee tomorrow's success . For some organizations, the ability to learn faster than the competitor is a critical competitive weapon in ensuring its survival and continued success (Fulmer, 1993). Yet, one criticism of organizational learning is that while it has a strong appeal there is little discussion on the difficulties and problems in developing organizational learning. This paper proposes that a problem limiting an organization's ability to develop organizational learning is organizational amnesia. To understand organizational amnesia, it is necessary to look at the definitions of organizational learning. Organizational learning is said to occur when the individual member detects the discrepancy between actual and expected results, and tries to correct the errors or challenge underlying assumptions. They seek to improve actions through better knowledge and understanding . A learning organization is an organization that facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself . Organizational learning is not merely the acquisition of knowledge. Equally important is the ability to respond and adapt. Specifically, this adaptation is brought about through double-looping learning and involves a re-examination of fundamental assumptions. This paper defines organizational amnesia as the inability of organizations to undergo the adaptation necessitated from learning. This definition recognizes that not all learning necessitates adaptation. Organizational amnesia happens when the adaptation found necessary through the learning does not take place. Organizational amnesia is distinct from resistance to change. Resistance only takes place as a response to a change initiative whereas organizational amnesia is marked by a failure to even respond and initiate change. We build upon the work of Crossan, who provide a framework of organizational learning that involves 4 processes of learning. They argue that organizational learning involves the processes of intuiting, interpreting, integrating and institutionalising. It is argued that organizational amnesia happens because of the failure mainly at the integrating and institutionalising stage. Drawing from the literature on social network, organizational theory and innovation, a number of explanations are offered on the causes of organizational amnesia. It also proposed that organizational amnesia could be classified into two broad categories. These are time-related amnesia and space-related amnesia. Time-related amnesia happens when an organization fails to tap into the accumulated knowledge in its corporate memory. Space-related amnesia happens when an organization fails to diffuse and integrate knowledge located at different points within an organization and implement decisions made.

Learning About the Sins of Organizational Memory

2007

In line with the overall theme of this year’s OLKC conference, this paper explores the terrain that is opened up when we re-view the concept of organizational memory through some of the recent thinking and research about the nature of individual memory. We argue that many researchers in the field of organizational memory have tended to overlook this fertile source of new ideas. It is our key contention and contribution that there are a range of problems in organizations that can be elucidated using individual memory-related concepts, and that understanding problems with respect to the functioning of individual memory helps us to also understand similar types of problem in an organizational setting. This re-viewing potentially provides fresh insights, new directions for future research, and represents a creative fusion between these two areas of research.

Memory of the Organisation and Memories within the Organisation

Journal of Management & Governance, 2003

Although the concept of memory is primarilyassociated with individuals, researcherssuggest that memory could also pertain tosupra-individual groups. It is commonlybelieved that organisations retain someknowledge of the past when key organisationalmembers leave. While there have been empiricaland theoretical works on organisational memory(e.g. Cohen and Bacdayan, 1994; Nelson andWinter, 1982) as well as review works (e.g.Walsh and Ungson, 1991), a critical synthesisof the interpretative approaches oforganisational memory that have emerged ismissing. Using the distinction put forward byBartlett (1961) on memory of the groupand memory within the group, this paperprovides a framework within which we discussand contrast the positions of those that arguethat a memory of the organisation can beidentified and indeed stored in the hierarchyof repetitive patterns of organisationalbehaviour (memory of the group) and thosethat maintain that members of any organisationsdo not share rules and therefore memory doesnot and cannot emerge as a feature of anorganisation (memory within the group). The paper argues that the concept of organisational context constitutes a linkbetween these two main approaches. Implications for theoretical interpretation offirm and empirical research are drawn.

Learning from the past: A review of the organizational memory literature

5th International Conference on Organizational …, 2003

Organizational memory is an under-specified, multidisciplinary construct that is well used in academic and practitioner literature. In organizational studies, organizational memory is most often linked with organizational learning, improvisation, and knowledge ...

The Relationships between Individual and Organisational Memory: Exploring the Missing Links

Although the concept of memory is primarily associated with individuals, researchers suggest that memory could also pertain to supra-individual groups. It is commonly believed that organisations retain some knowledge of the past when key organisational members leave. While there have been empirical and theoretical works on organisational memory (e.g. as well as review works (e.g. Walsh and Ungson, 1991), a critical synthesis of the interpretative approaches of organisational memory that have emerged is missing. Using the distinction put forward by on memory of the group and memory within the group, this paper provides a framework within which we discuss and contrast the positions of those that argue that a memory of the organisation can be identified and indeed stored in the hierarchy of repetitive patterns of organisational behaviour (memory of the group) and those that maintain that members of any organisations do not share rules and therefore memory does not and cannot emerge as a feature of an organisation (memory within the group). The paper argues that the concept of organisational context constitutes a link between these two main approaches. Implications for theoretical interpretation of firm and empirical research are drawn.

Considering an organization's memory

Proceedings of the 1998 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work - CSCW '98, 1998

The term organizational memory is due for an overhaul. Memory appears to be everywhere in organizations; yet, the term has been limited to a few uses. In this paper we examine what memory in an organization really is. Based on an ethnographic study of a telephone hotline group, this paper presents a micro-level analysis of a hotline call, the work activity surrounding the call, and the memory used in the work activity. We do this analysis from the viewpoint of distributed cognition theory, finding it fruitful for an understanding of an organization's memory.