How do organizational factors influence knowledge retention and storage within companies? In this study, we examine the influence of organizational structure on organizational memory. We are specifically interested in the effects of specialization and standardization—dimensions of the organizational structure—on organizational memory as conceptualized by Walsh and Ungson (1991) and Argote (2005). This study is based on recent survey data from 122 respondents of multi-unit organizations that are mainly from the consulting, financial, automotive, and electrical industries. The results suggest that structural organizational factors, i.e. specialization and standardization as well as organizational processes such as codification and personalization of information and electronic communication influence organizational memory. Furthermore, the results show that codification of information fully mediates the relationship between standardization and organizational memory and that electronic communication partially mediates the relationship between specialization and organizational memory. Overall, the results suggest that the processes of codification of knowledge as well as electronic communication are conducive to the formation of organizational memory and that respective organizational memory bins have unique associations with the organizational structure factors. Our study is one of the first to empirically test propositions with regard to the concept of organizational memory.
Ackermann, Mark S.1998‘Augmenting organizational memory: A field study of answer garden’. ACM Transactions on Information Systems16/3: 203-224.
2.
Ackermann, Mark S., and Christine A. Halverson2000‘Reexamining organizational memory’. Communications of the ACM43/1: 58-64.
3.
Adler, Paul S., and Bryan Borys1996‘Two types of bureaucracy: Enabling and coercive’ . Administrative Science Quarterly41/1: 61-89.
4.
Akgün, Ali E., John C. Byrne, Gary S. Lynn, and Halit Keskin2007‘Organizational unlearning as changes in beliefs and routines in organizations’. Journal of Organizational Change Management20/6: 794-812.
5.
Anand, Vikas, Charles C. Manz, and William H. Glick1998‘An organizational memory approach to information management’. Academy of Management Review23/4: 796-809.
Argote, Linda, Bill McEvily, and Ray Reagans2003‘Managing knowledge in organizations: An integrative framework and review of emerging themes’ . Management Science49/4: 571-582.
8.
Argyris, Chris, and Donald A. Schön1978Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading: Addison Wesley.
9.
Baldwin, Carliss Y., and Kim B. Clark2000Design rules, Vol. 1: The power of modularity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
10.
Baumgartner, Hans, and Christian Homburg1996‘Applications of structural equation modeling in marketing and consumer research: A review’. International Journal of Research in Marketing13/2: 139-161.
11.
Berthon, Pierre, Leyland F. Pitt, and Michael T. Ewing2001‘Corollaries of the collective: The influence of culture and organizational memory development on perceived decision-making context’. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science29/2: 135-150.
12.
Biddle, Bruce J., and Marjorie M. Marlin1987‘Causality, confirmation, credulity, and structural equation modeling’. Child Development58/1: 4-17.
13.
Blau, P.M.1955The dynamics of bureaucracy: A study of interpersonal relations in two government agencies. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
14.
Bortz, Jürgen, and Nicola Döring1995Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation , 2nd edn. Berlin: Springer.
15.
Chang, Dae R., and Hang Cho2008‘Organizational memory influences new product success’ . Journal of Business Research61/1: 13-23.
16.
Chia, Robert2002‘Essai: Time, duration and simultaneity: Rethinking process and change in organizational analysis’. Organization Studies23/6: 863-868.
17.
Cliff, Norman1983‘Some cautions concerning the application of causal modeling methods’. Multivariate Behavioral Research18/1: 115-126.
18.
Corbett, J.M.1997‘Towards a sociological model of organizational memory’. Presented at HICSS’30, Maui, HI .
19.
Cross, Rob, and Lloyd Baird2000‘Technology is not enough: Improving performance by building organizational memory’. MIT Sloan Management Review41/3: 69-78.
20.
Cyert, Richard M., and James C. March 1963A behavioral theory of the firm. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
21.
Davis, Gordon B.1997‘Management information systems’ in The Blackwell encyclopedic dictionary of management information systems. Gordon B. Davis (ed.), 138-145. Cambridge, MA : Blackwell.
22.
Dess, Gregory G., and Richard B. Robinson Jr.1984‘Measuring organizational performance in the absence of objective measures: The case of the privately-held firm and conglomerate business unit’. Strategic Management Journal5/3: 265-273.
23.
Dickson, Peter R.1992‘Toward a general theory of competitive rationality’ . Journal of Marketing56/1: 69-83.
24.
Dillman, Donald A.1978Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method . New York: Wiley.
25.
Dröge, Cornelia, Jayaram Jayanth, and Shawnee Vickery2000‘The ability to minimize the timing of new product development and introduction: An examination of antecedent factors in the North American automobile supplier industry’ . Journal of Product Innovation Management17/1: 24-40.
26.
Durkheim, Emile1985. Les formes élementaires de la vie réligieuse . Le systeme totémique en Australie. Paris: Quadrige/P.U.F.
27.
Favela, Jesus1997‘Capture and dissemination of specialized knowledge in network organizations’. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce7/2-3: 201-226.
28.
Feldman, Regina M., and Steven P. Feldman2006‘What links the Chain: An essay on organizational remembering as practice’. Organization13/6: 861-887.
29.
Finkelstein, Sydney, and Donald C. Hambrick1996Strategic leadership: Top executives and their effects on organizations. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: West.
30.
Fiol, Marlene, and Marjorie A. Lyles1985‘Organizational learning’ . Academy of Management Review10/4: 803-813.
31.
Fitzpatrick, Patricia2006‘In it together: Organizational learning through participation in environmental assessment’. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy & Management8/2: 157-182.
32.
Fredrickson, James W.1986‘The strategic decision making process in organizational structure’. Academy of Management Review11/2: 280-297.
33.
Goebel, Daniel J., Greg W. Marshall, and William B. Locander2004‘Infusing customer orientation among nonmarketing members of the firm: An organizational communication-based model’. Journal of Strategic Marketing12/1: 29-56.
34.
Goodman, Paul S., and Eric D. Darr1996‘Exchanging best practices through computer-aided systems’. Academy of Management Executive10/2: 7-19.
35.
Goodman, Paul S., and Eric D. Darr1998‘Computer-aided systems and communities: Mechanisms for organizational learning in distributed environments’ . MIS Quarterly22/4: 417-440.
36.
Hackbarth, Gary, and Varun Grover1999‘The knowledge repository organizational memory information systems’. Information Systems Management16/3: 21-31.
37.
Hage, Jerald, and Michael Aiken1967‘Relationship of centralization to other structural properties’. Administrative Science Quarterly12/1: 72-92.
38.
Hansen, Morton T., Nitin Nohria, and Thomas Tiemey1999‘What is your strategy for managing knowledge?’ . Harvard Business Review77/2: 106-116.
39.
Hanvanich, Sangphet, K. Sivakumar, and G. ThomasM. Hult2006‘The relationship of learning and memory with organizational performance: The moderating role of turbulence’. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science34/4: 600-612.
40.
Hassell, Lewis2007‘A continental philosophy perspective on knowledge management’. Information Systems Journal17/2: 185-195.
41.
Huber, George P.1991‘Organizational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures’. Organization Science2/1: 88-115.
42.
Huber, George P., and Daniel J. Power1985‘Retrospective reports of strategic-level managers: Guidelines for increasing their accuracy’ . Strategic Management Journal6/2: 171-180.
43.
John, George, and John Martin1984‘Effects of organizational structure of marketing planning on credibility and utilization of plan output’. Journal of Marketing Research21/2: 170-183.
44.
Käkölä, Timo, and Kalle Koota1999‘Dual information systems: Supporting organizational working and learning by making organizational memory transparent’. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce9/2-3: 205-232.
45.
Karsten, Helena1999‘Relationship between organizational form and organizational memory: An investigation in a professional service organization’ . Journal of Organizational Computing & Electronic Commerce9/2-3: 129-150.
46.
Kieser, Alfred, and Peter Walgenbach2003Organisation. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel.
47.
Leonard-Barton, Dorothy1992‘Core capabilities and core rigidities: A paradox in managing new product development’. Strategic Management Journal13: 111-125.
48.
Levitt, Barbara, and James G. March 1996‘Organizational learning’. Annual Review of Sociology14: 319-40.
49.
Lien, Bella Y.-H., Richard Y. Hung, and Gary N. McLean2007‘Organizational learning as an organization development intervention in six high-technology firms in Taiwan: An exploratory case study’. Human Resource Development Quarterly18/2: 211-228.
50.
Lin, Xiaohua, and Richcard Germain2003‘Organizational structure, context, customer orientation, and performance: Lessons from Chinese state-owned enterprises’. Strategic Management Journal24/11: 1131-1151.
51.
Lukas, Bryan A., G. ThomasM. Hult, and O.C. Ferrell1996‘A theoretical perspective of the antecedents and consequences of organizational learning in marketing channels’. Journal of Business Research36/3: 233-244.
52.
Markus, M.Lynne2001‘Toward a theory of knowledge reuse: Types of knowledge reuse situations and factors in reuse success’. Journal of Management Information Systems18/1: 57-93.
53.
Martz, W.M. Benjamin, Jr., and Morgan M. Shepherd2001‘Getting more out of organizational memory: Comparative comments and output medium’. Journal of Computer Information Systems41/4: 9-13.
54.
Menon, Anil, and Rajan Varadarajan1992‘A model of marketing knowledge use within firms’. Journal of Marketing56/4: 53-71.
55.
Moorman, Christine, and Anne S. Miner1997‘The impact of organizational memory on new product performance and creativity’. Journal of Marketing Research34/1: 91-106.
56.
Nelson, Richard R., and Sidney G. Winter1982An evolutionary theory of economic change. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.
57.
Olivera, Fernando2000‘Memory systems in organizations: An empirical investigation of mechanisms for knowledge collection, storage and access’ . Journal of Management Studies37/6: 811-832.
58.
Orlikowski, Wanda1995Evolving with notes: Organizational change around groupware technology. Retrieved from http://ccs.mit.edu/papers/CCSWP186.html
59.
Ozorhon, Beliz, Irem Dikmen, and M. Talat Birgonul2005‘Organizational memory formation and its use in construction’. Building Research & Information33/1: 67-79.
60.
Pajunen, Kalle2008‘The nature of organizational mechanisms’ . Organization Studies29/11: 1449-1468.
61.
Paoli, Massimo, and Andrea Prencipe2003‘Memory of the organisation and memories within the organisation’. Journal of Management & Governance7/2: 145-162.
62.
Park, Jeong E., and Michele D. Bunn2003‘Organizational memory: A new perspective on the organizational buying process’. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing18/3: 237-257.
63.
Picot, Arnold, Ralf Reichwald, and Rolf T. Wigand2003Die grenzenlose Unternehmung, 5th edn. Wiesbaden: Gabler.
64.
Postrel, Steven2002‘Islands of shared knowledge: Specialization and mutual understanding in problem-solving teams’. Organization Science13/3: 223-320.
65.
Pugh, Derek S., David J.Hickson, ChristopherR. Hinings, and Christopher Turner1968‘Dimensions of organization structure’. Administrative Science Quarterly13/1: 65-105.
66.
Pugh, Derek S., and David J. Hickson1976Organizational structure in its context. The Aston Programme I.Westmead -Farnborough: Saxon House.
67.
Randal, Dave, John Hughes, Jon O’Brien, Mark Rouncefield, and Peter Tolmie2001‘"Memories are made of this": Explicating organisational knowledge and memory’. European Journal of Information Systems10/2: 113-121.
68.
Rogelberg, Steven G., Gwenith G. Fisher, Douglas C. Maynard, Milton D. Hakel, and Michael Horvath2001‘Attitudes toward surveys: Development of a measure and its relationship to respondent behavior’ . Organizational Research Methods4/1: 3-25.
69.
Rusaw, Carol2005‘How downsizing affects organizational memory in government: Some implications for professional and organizational development’ . Public Administration Quarterly28/4: 482-500.
70.
Sandelands, Lloyd E., and Ralph E. Stablein1987‘The concept of organization mind’ in Research in the sociology of organizations. Samuel Bacharach and Nancy DiTomaso (eds), 5: 135-161. Greenwich : JAI.
71.
Sandoe, Kent, and Lorne Olfman1992Anticipating the mnemonic shift: Organizational remembering and forgetting in 2001. Proceedings of the 13th international conference on Information Systems. ACM Press : 127-137.
72.
Schatzki, Theodore R.2006‘On organizations as they happen’. Organization Studies27/12: 1863-1873.
73.
Schein, Edgar H.1995Unternehmenskultur. Ein Handbuch für Führungskräfte . Frankfurt am Main: Campus.
74.
Schilling, Melissa A., Patricia Vidal, Robert E. Ployhart, and Alexandre Marangoni2003‘Learning by doing something else: Variation, relatedness, and the learning curve’. Management Science49/1: 39-56.
75.
Senge, Peter M.1990The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York: Currency Doubleday.
76.
Shrivastava, Paul1985‘Integrating strategy formulation with organizational culture’. Journal of Business Strategy5/3: 103-111.
77.
Shrivastava, Paul1995‘The role of corporations in achieving ecological sustainability’. Academy of Management Review20/4: 936-960.
78.
Sinkula, James M.1994‘Market information processing and organizational learning’. Journal of Marketing58/1: 35-45.
79.
Souren, Paul, William D. Haseman, and Keshavamurthy Ramamurthy2004‘Collective memory support and cognitive-conflict group decision-making: An experimental investigation’ . Decision Support Systems36/3: 261-281.
80.
Stein, Eric W., and Vladimir Zwass1995‘Actualizing organizational memory with information technology’. Information Systems Research6/2: 85-117.
81.
Tsang, Eric W. K., and Shaker A. Zahra2008‘Organizational unlearning’ . Human Relations61/10: 1435-1462.
82.
Venkatraman, N., and John H. Grant1986‘Construct measurement in organizational strategy research: A critique and proposal’. Academy of Management Review11/1: 71-87.
83.
Vince, Russ, Kathleen Sutcliffe, and Fernando Olivera2002‘Organizational learning: New directions’. British Journal of Management13/1: 1-6.
84.
Vygotsky, Lev S. (in press) The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. III. Problems of the theory and history of psychology. New York: Plenum.
85.
Walsh, James P., and Gerardo R. Ungson1991‘Organizational memory’ . Academy of Management Review16/1: 57-91.
86.
Wegner, Daniel M.1986‘Transactive memory’ in Theories of Group Behavior . Brian Mullen and George Goethals (eds), 185-208. New York: Springer.
87.
Weick, Karl1979Organization studies: An international multidisciplinary journal devoted to the study of organizations, organizing, and the organized in and between societies. London: Sage.
88.
Weinberger, Hadas, Dov Te’eni, and Ariel J. Frank2008‘Ontology-based evaluation of organizational memory’. Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology59/9: 1454-1468.
89.
West, G. Wayne1994‘Learning organizations: A critical review’. Proceedings of the Annual Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 210-217.
90.
Wijnhoven, Fons1998‘Designing organizational communication: concept and method’. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce8/1: 29-55.
91.
Wilkins, Alan L., and William G. Ouchi1983‘Efficient cultures: Exploring the relationship between culture and organizational performance’ . Administrative Science Quarterly28/3: 468-481.
92.
Yates, JoAnne1989Control through communication: The rise of system in American management. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
93.
Zaheer, Srilata, and Aks Zaheer2006‘Trust across borders’. Journal of International Business Studies37/1: 21-29.
