Organizational forgetting Part I: a review of the literature and future research directions
ISSN: 0969-6474
Article publication date: 6 May 2020
Issue publication date: 16 July 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and synthesize the literature on organizational forgetting.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review approach was used to synthesize current theoretical and empirical studies on organizational forgetting.
Findings
The review and synthesis of the literature revealed that the organizational forgetting literature is fragmented, with studies conducted across disparate fields and using different methodologies; two primary modes (i.e. accidental and purposeful) and three foci (i.e. knowledge depreciation, knowledge loss and unlearning) define current organizational forgetting literature; and the factors that influence organizational forgetting can be grouped into four clusters related to individuals, processes, tools and organizational context.
Research limitations/implications
This literature review has limitations related to time span coverage and journal article accessibility.
Originality/value
This paper offers an integrative view of organizational forgetting that proposes a holistic and multilevel research approach and systematic synthesis of organizational forgetting research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
A previous draft of this paper was presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting held in Vancouver (Canada) in August 2015. We gratefully acknowledge Pablo Martin de Holan, Mary Crossan and Tracy Lawrence for their useful comments on previous drafts of the manuscript.
Citation
Mariano, S., Casey, A. and Olivera, F. (2020), "Organizational forgetting Part I: a review of the literature and future research directions", The Learning Organization, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 185-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-12-2019-0182
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited