EMBRACING ORGANISATIONAL UNLEARNING AS A FACILITATOR OF BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION

Abstract

Organisational unlearning has received increased attention in management and organisation literature. In this paper, I explore the role of organisational unlearning as a facilitator of business model innovation. I argue that managers should engage in a prior step of unlearning to innovate outdated business models. In doing so, managers need to legitimise the unlearning process by scrutinising and discarding their own cognitive views about the business model. Further, managers should provide boundary conditions for other organisational actors to eliminate actions, practices, and routines associated with the outdated business models. Engaging in an additional process of organisational unlearning helps managers to identify and remove outdated business models and facilitate business model innovation.