Towards a sociological model of organisational memory

Abstract

In their review of research on organisational memory, J.P. Walsh and G.R. Ungson (1991) argue that the extant representations of the concept are fragmented and underdeveloped. It is argued that this is due, at least in part, to the dominance of psychological models of memory employed by organisational memory system theorists. It is argued that the development of a more sociological theory of memory not only helps us understand the roots of the present confusion surrounding the concept of organisational memory, but also enables the development of a more coherent theoretical model to guide research on the impact of computerisation on organisational memory. The political implications of this model are discussed. The paper concludes by arguing that the development of such organisational memory systems will create a significant technical design challenge to system designers and developers, not least because it calls into question the long standing cognitive disjuncture between computer system designers and users.