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Remembrance of Things Past? The Dynamics of Organizational Forgetting

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Listed author(s):
  • Pablo Martin de Holan

    ()

    (Instituto de Empresa and INCAE, Pinar 7, 1 ra Planta, Madrid, Spain 28006)

  • Nelson Phillips

    ()

    (Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom CB2 1AG)

Registered author(s):

    Abstract

    How organizations create, transfer, and retain knowledge has been the focus of intensive investigation by management researchers. However, one aspect of the dynamics of knowledge---organizational forgetting---has received comparatively little attention. In this paper, we draw on an exploratory, multiple-case study of learning in international strategic alliances to explore how and why organizations forget. Based on our case study, we develop a theory of organizational forgetting, discuss the role of forgetting in the dynamics of organizational knowledge, and present a typology of types of organizational forgetting.

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    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0273
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    Article provided by INFORMS in its journal Management Science.

    Volume (Year): 50 (2004)
    Issue (Month): 11 (November)
    Pages: 1603-1613

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    Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:50:y:2004:i:11:p:1603-1613
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    Keywords: organizational learning; organizational forgetting; unlearning; knowledge management;

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    1. Koza, Mitchell & Lewin, Arie, 2000. "Managing partnerships and strategic alliances: raising the odds of success," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 146-151, April.
    2. Eric D. Darr & Linda Argote & Dennis Epple, 1995. "The Acquisition, Transfer, and Depreciation of Knowledge in Service Organizations: Productivity in Franchises," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(11), pages 1750-1762, November.
    3. C. Lanier Benkard, 2000. "Learning and Forgetting: The Dynamics of Aircraft Production," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(4), pages 1034-1054, September.
    4. Linda Argote & Sara L. Beckman & Dennis Epple, 1990. "The Persistence and Transfer of Learning in Industrial Settings," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(2), pages 140-154, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Claussen, Jörg & Falck, Oliver & Grohsjean, Thorsten, 2012. "The strength of direct ties: Evidence from the electronic game industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 223-230.
    2. Eric W. K. Tsang, 2016. "How Existing Organizational Practices Affect the Transfer of Practices to International Joint Ventures," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 565-595, August.
    3. Cegarra-Navarro, Juan Gabriel & Wensley, Anthony K.P., 2009. "Congenital learning in the Spanish telecommunication industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 533-543, November.
    4. Dimo Dimov & Pablo Martin de Holan & Hana Milanov, 2012. "Learning patterns in venture capital investing in new industries," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(6), pages 1389-1426, December.
    5. Aharonson, Barak S. & Schilling, Melissa A., 2016. "Mapping the technological landscape: Measuring technology distance, technological footprints, and technology evolution," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 81-96.
    6. Leal-Rodríguez, Antonio Luis & Eldridge, Stephen & Roldán, José Luis & Leal-Millán, Antonio Genaro & Ortega-Gutiérrez, Jaime, 2015. "Organizational unlearning, innovation outcomes, and performance: The moderating effect of firm size," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 803-809.
    7. C. Baden-Fuller & S.G. Winter, 2005. "Replicating Organizational Knowledge: Principles or Templates?," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2005-15, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    8. Garnsey, Elizabeth & Lorenzoni, Gianni & Ferriani, Simone, 2008. "Speciation through entrepreneurial spin-off: The Acorn-ARM story," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 210-224, March.
    9. Yang, Kuo-Pin & Chou, Christine & Chiu, Yu-Jen, 2014. "How unlearning affects radical innovation: The dynamics of social capital and slack resources," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 152-163.
    10. Velu, C. & Iyer, S., 2008. "The Rationality of Irrationality for Managers: Returns- Based Beliefs and the Traveller’s Dilemma," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0826, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    11. Jiang Wei & Minfei Zhou & Mark Greeven & Hongyan Qu, 2016. "Economic governance, dual networks and innovative learning in five Chinese industrial clusters," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 1037-1074, December.
    12. D. Mehta & Naveen K Mehta & Jitendra K. Sharma, 2011. "Knowledge Management in Economic Downturn: Indian Scenario," BRAND. Broad Research in Accounting, Negotiation, and Distribution, EduSoft Publishing, vol. 2(2), pages 16-21, October.
    13. Schneckenberg, Dirk & Truong, Yann & Mazloomi, Hamid, 2015. "Microfoundations of innovative capabilities: The leverage of collaborative technologies on organizational learning and knowledge management in a multinational corporation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 356-368.
    14. Christian W. Scheiner & Christian V. Baccarella & Nina Feller & Kai-Ingo Voigt & John Bessant, 2016. "Organisational And Individual Unlearning In Identification And Evaluation Of Technologies," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(02), pages 1650017-01 .

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