Organizational Memory

Sharon D. Kruse

Despite the fact that memory or remembering remains a core component of organizational learning theory, the understanding of the concept is limited. Organizational memory is generally agreed to consist of both mental (i.e., data, information, and knowledge) and structural artifacts (i.e., roles, architectures, and operating procedures) within an organization. Furthermore, organizational memory is considered important in that it allows organizations to draw upon events from the past to influence present decision-making structures. Focus on the organization's ability to learn and subsequently remember what it has learned suggests the ability for organizations to transcend the fragile limitations of individual knowledge structures. This conception suggests three constraints in the consideration of organizational memory: the locus of organizational information acquisition, the processes by which information is acquired, stored, and retrieved, and the utility of memory to organizational outcomes and performance. Information about problems encountered, solutions identified, and decisions determined forms the core of ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.