Organizational Memory Studies

Abstract

This paper provides an overview and discussion of the rapidly growing literature on Organizational Memory Studies (OMS). We define OMS as an inquiry into the ways that remembering and forgetting shape, and are shaped by, organizations and organizing processes. The contribution of this article is threefold. We briefly review what we understand by organizational memory and explore some key debates and points of contestation in the field. Second, we identify four different perspectives that have been developed in OMS (functional, interpretive, critical and performative) and expand upon each perspective by showcasing articles published over the past decade. In particular, we examine four papers previously published in Organization Studies to show the distinctiveness of each perspective. Finally, we identify a number of areas for future research to facilitate the future development of OMS.

Entrepreneurial imagining: How a small team of arts entrepreneurs created the world’s largest traveling carillon

“…This necessary first step reveals how novelty gets generated, but as our data show, entrepreneurial imagining often is a collective process. Continued research thus might explore collective dimensions of entrepreneurial imagining, building from collective memory and futuristic fantasies (Foroughi, Coraiola, Rintamäki, Mena, & Foster, 2020) or collective imagination as a means to radically re-imagine organizing (Komporozos-Athanasiou & Fotaki, 2015).…”

An integrative approach to investigating longstanding organisational phenomena; opportunities for practice theorists and historians

“…We see this approach pursued in a recent study by Sinha et al (2020) who investigate how collective memory is used in the present to help manage organisational change, while Suddaby et al (2020) has argued that an organisation's ability to manage history is a necessary dynamic capability for enacting change. the field of organisational memory studies conceptualises the past as temporally prolonged in the present (Foroughi et al, 2020) and so supports and enables practice scholars' efforts to untangle the accretion of particular doings and sayings over time.…”

The Moderating Impact of Organizational Identity Strength between Strategic Improvisation and Organizational Memory and Their Effects on Competitive Advantage

“…Finally, the moderating effect of OIDS is not proven in our study; therefore, it would be fruitful for further studies to test other contingent factors inside or outside organizations to extend the boundaries of existing literature. Another interesting research avenue is that there is an emerging perspective on the interactive nature of learning and organizational memory [94,95]. Since a single party cannot achieve corporate sustainability, the interacting mechanism among various stakeholders during the evolution from SI to OM can affect how firms consume resources and produce could be important.…”