Organizational forgetting Part I : a review of the literature and future research directions

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.