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1 – 10 of over 1000Annette Kluge, Arnulf Sebastian Schüffler, Christof Thim, Jennifer Haase and Norbert Gronau
Insight has grown that for an organization to learn and change successfully, forgetting and unlearning are required. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the relevant…
Abstract
Purpose
Insight has grown that for an organization to learn and change successfully, forgetting and unlearning are required. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the relevant existing body of empirical research on forgetting and unlearning, to encourage research using a greater variety of methods and to contribute to a more complementary body of empirical work by using designs and instruments with a stronger reference to previous studies.
Design/methodology/approach
As the number of theoretical papers clearly exceeds the number of empirical papers, the present paper deals with the main insights based on the empirical state of research on unlearning and forgetting. So far, these empirical results have shown relationships between unlearning and other organizational outcomes such as innovation on an organizational level, but many of the other proposed relationships have not been investigated. The authors presents suggestion to apply a larger variety of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods in organizational research.
Findings
Unlearning and forgetting research can benefit both from more diverse theoretical questions addressed in research and from a more complementary body of empirical work that applies methods, designs and instruments that refer to previous research designs and results. To understand and manage unlearning and forgetting, empirical work should relate to and expand upon previous empirical work to form a more coherent understanding of empirical results.
Originality/value
The paper presents a variety of research designs and methods that can be applied within the research context of understanding the nature of organizational forgetting and unlearning. Additionally, it illustrates the potential for different methods, such as experience sampling methods, which capture the temporal aspects of forgetting and unlearning.
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Information, whether it is acquired from an external source or generated internally, is subjected to perceptual filters made up of the organization’s norms, procedures, and…
Abstract
Information, whether it is acquired from an external source or generated internally, is subjected to perceptual filters made up of the organization’s norms, procedures, and beliefs that influence what information the organization attends to and ultimately accepts. This paper examines the role which these organizational filters play in unlearning; viewed here as a specialized form of organizational learning. Unlearning is defined as the “process by which firms eliminate old logics and make room for new ones” by Prahalad and Bettis. The author argues that firms which engage in unlearning activities are better able to cast aside established routines in order to replace them with ones that ultimately result in superior value to their customers.
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Daniel Orth and Philipa Maria Schuldis
The purpose of this paper is to empirically validate the positive effect of learning on organizational resilience and, within this relationship, understand the role of unlearning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically validate the positive effect of learning on organizational resilience and, within this relationship, understand the role of unlearning in the COVID-19 crisis context and progress the current knowledge about these concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses online survey data from German and Austrian organizations’ employees to test hypotheses derived from frameworks by Duchek (2019), Stephenson (2010) and Fiol and O’Connor (2017). The used questionnaire is built out of three pre-tested questionnaires to increase reliability. Conceptually, this paper takes a capability approach and a process perspective.
Findings
The results support the positive effect of organizational learning on resilience, while rejecting the hypothesized moderating effect of unlearning on this relationship. Organizational learning showed to have a particularly strong positive effect on the adaptive capacity of resilience, compared to organizational resilience overall.
Practical implications
To build a learning capability for organizational resilience, managers should foster an open system culture in their organization, which aims to be generally open to learn and adapt to be able to withstand adversity. During an organizational crisis, managers have the chance to rebuild organizational structures for better information flow, e.g. implementing formal knowledge management structures.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to empirically test the causal connection between organizational learning and resilience in the Central European context during the COVID-19 crisis. The inclusion of unlearning enriches the discourse about its conceptualizations and fosters future research.
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Xiangyang Wang, Ying Qi and Yingxin Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between unlearning and strategic flexibility from the down-up change perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between unlearning and strategic flexibility from the down-up change perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the routine-updating process, this study builds a theoretical model and examines it using survey data from 233 firms in China.
Findings
Unlearning is the enabler to strategic flexibility. Specifically, individual unlearning and organizational unlearning both have positive effects on strategic flexibility. Organizational unlearning exerts a partly mediating effect on the relationship between individual unlearning and strategic flexibility.
Originality/value
The paper examines the different mechanisms of individual and organizational unlearning on strategic flexibility and suggests that unlearning is a useful method or approach for strategic flexibility. In addition, this study is useful to help managers or practitioners determine how to embrace strategic flexibility by unlearning.
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Mandolen Mull, Clayton Duffy and Dave Silberman
The purpose of this conceptual paper is to provide a foundation for human resource development (HRD) scholars in attempts to devise mechanisms for establishing and facilitating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this conceptual paper is to provide a foundation for human resource development (HRD) scholars in attempts to devise mechanisms for establishing and facilitating actionable pathways through which unlearning can be acknowledged and serve as a contributing agent for HRD interventions. This paper concludes with a call to action for our HRD colleagues to join us in further examination of unlearning interventions within the organizational context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper narratively details the literature associated with the myriad social science domains that have investigated the unlearning process. Additionally, a cross-disciplinary literature review provides the basis for an operational definition of unlearning provided herein.
Findings
The field of HRD is devoted to creating learning organizations as well as utilizing change initiatives to develop organizations. However, unlearning has been largely ignored within the field of HRD.
Originality/value
The first contribution is by answering the call of scholars across varied disciplines to further investigate unlearning within the organizational context (Bettis and Prahalad, 1995; Hedberg, 1981; Nystrom and Starbuck, 1984). Additionally, this paper seeks to specifically address the role that unlearning holds within the field of HRD as it builds upon the definition provided by Wang et al. (2017) and offers its own operational definition. Finally, this paper provides the only known review of cross-disciplinary research pertaining to unlearning.
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The first purpose of this short essay is to respond to Howells and Scholderer’s (2016) harsh critique that organizational unlearning is a superfluous concept. The second purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
The first purpose of this short essay is to respond to Howells and Scholderer’s (2016) harsh critique that organizational unlearning is a superfluous concept. The second purpose is to establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization.
Design/methodology/approach
To respond to Howells and Scholderer’s critique, the author carefully examines their arguments – focusing on their comments on the author’s previous publications – and checks whether the arguments are logical and coherent. To establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization, the author draws on his own research of international joint ventures in China.
Findings
Howells and Scholderer seriously miscited the ideas in one of the author’s publications, and their main arguments are blatantly flawed. Moreover, they are unaware that many of the faults they find in the organizational unlearning literature are also present in the organizational learning literature. As to the second part of this essay, the study of the acquisition type of joint ventures clearly indicates the presence of organizational unlearning. Moreover, for such ventures to be learning organizations, the unlearning step has to be well managed.
Research limitations/implications
As mentioned, the author’s response to Howells and Scholderer’s critique focuses on their comments on the author’s publications. It is highly likely that they have made other erroneous arguments that this essay fails to capture. The author’s discussion of unlearning and learning organizations is constrained by the context of acquisition joint ventures.
Originality/value
This essay forcefully rebuts Howells and Scholderer’s critique, which can become an obstacle in the development of organizational unlearning research. The dynamics of knowledge transfer in acquisition joint ventures suggest that skills of unlearning, and not just learning, are essential to reaching the goal of being a learning organization.
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Xiangyang Wang, Yujuan Xi, Jingsi Xie and Yingxin Zhao
The purpose of this study is to adopt the perspective of congruence to explore how organizational unlearning facilitates knowledge transfer in cross-border mergers and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to adopt the perspective of congruence to explore how organizational unlearning facilitates knowledge transfer in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the congruence theory, this study built a theoretical model and examined it with survey data from 212 firms in China.
Findings
Organizational unlearning has no direct influence on knowledge transfer. In contrast, it promotes knowledge and routine compatibility that facilitate knowledge transfer. Routine and knowledge compatibility have different mechanisms on knowledge transfer. Specifically, the higher routine compatibility, the more effective is knowledge transfer. When knowledge compatibility is at a medium level, the effectiveness of knowledge transfer is optimal.
Practical implications
Firms should regard organizational unlearning as a crucial facilitator to knowledge and routine compatibility that promote knowledge transfer.
Originality/value
This study provides a specific understanding of the relationships between organizational unlearning and knowledge transfer by focusing on knowledge and routine compatibility as the crucial links, and enriches existing literature regarding knowledge transfer.
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Learning, unlearning and relearning (LUR) has been preached as a panacea to organizations. Whereas, research on learning and unlearning has grown exponentially, relearning is…
Abstract
Purpose
Learning, unlearning and relearning (LUR) has been preached as a panacea to organizations. Whereas, research on learning and unlearning has grown exponentially, relearning is still considered as an obscure concept. This paper aims to provide a new insight on organizational relearning and highlight its linkages with organizational unlearning.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based upon a systematic literature review of organizational unlearning and organizational relearning. Papers expounding upon relearning were carefully analyzed vis-à-vis organizational unlearning.
Findings
Organizational unlearning and organizational relearning assume a vital place in developing a learning organization. However, linking the two processes in a sequence tends to arouse certain conceptual difficulties. First, it is not necessary that relearning follows this prescribed ordering sequence. It is a process that can happen without prior unlearning. Second, based on the process model and multiple definitions of unlearning, the very purpose of organizational unlearning is to acquire new knowledge (relearning in literature). Therefore, in this sense, relearning seems to become a redundant concept and a neologism. As a result, this hampers the proper contextualization of relearning.
Originality/value
This paper attempts to expound upon the debate of organizational relearning and its interplay with organizational unlearning. As the concept of lifelong learning and building learning organizations assumes the center stage in contemporary organizations, it is suggested that unless the conceptual issues of related to LUR are not adequately addressed, academicians will naturally find it difficult to prescribe proper course of action to practitioners.
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Adrian Klammer and Stefan Gueldenberg
Although still under-researched and characterized by a fragmented understanding, unlearning and forgetting have recently received increased scholarly attention. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Although still under-researched and characterized by a fragmented understanding, unlearning and forgetting have recently received increased scholarly attention. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to survey and evaluate key works in the field of organizational unlearning and forgetting. Through analyzing and synthesizing common themes, this paper aims to highlight research gaps and avenues for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper follows a systematic approach of identifying, analyzing and synthesizing pertinent literature in the field of organizational unlearning and forgetting. In total, 63 works were thoroughly reviewed.
Findings
This paper highlights different levels and scopes, as well as antecedents and consequences of organizational unlearning and forgetting. Even though unlearning and forgetting has gained increased attention, researchers still need to provide robust conceptual and empirical evidence to advance the field.
Originality/value
By structuring the analysis and synthesis around various constructs, theories, typologies and related themes, this paper outlines several research gaps and proposes avenues for further research. Additionally, this systematic literature review resulted in the development of a framework based on the intentionality and depth of knowledge loss, which allows future researchers to position their research and differentiate themselves from other literature in the field.
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Yingxin Zhao, Yanqiu Lu and Xiangyang Wang
The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to explore the dynamic process of knowledge management from the perspectives of organizational unlearning and organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to explore the dynamic process of knowledge management from the perspectives of organizational unlearning and organizational relearning, which promote a favorable context for knowledge management.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is proposed based on extensive review of literatures. According to this model, the evolutions of organizational unlearning and organizational relearning are separately analyzed, and the interactions between them are revealed.
Findings
Organizational unlearning and organizational relearning are the indispensable factors to the dynamic knowledge management. Organizational unlearning positively affects the dynamic knowledge management by discarding the outdated and useless knowledge, while organizational relearning has a positive influence on the dynamic knowledge management by acquiring the new knowledge. Organizational unlearning and organizational relearning have synergies on the dynamic knowledge management.
Research limitations/implications
This paper theoretically illuminates the relationships among organizational unlearning, organizational relearning and knowledge management, and doesn't offer an empirical test.
Practical implications
This paper will provide insights to practitioners to better understand the dynamic process of knowledge management. The practitioners need to provide favorable context to ensure that organizational unlearning and organizational relearning can occur.
Originality/value
Most existing studies focused on the inflows of knowledge, but the outflows of knowledge still lack sufficient attention, especially the dynamic process of knowledge management. The framework provides guides in that process.
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