Organizational Memory

OM Storage: Supply-Side Conceptualizations

Formal OM conceptualizations emphasize its supply side. One traditional framework describes the structure of OM as five internal archives for storing information within the organization (individuals, structure, ecology, culture, and transformation), plus multiple external archives for storing information outside the organization (e.g., news agencies and professional databases). A second framework describes the structure of OM as a transactive memory system that encompasses multiple domains of information (easily communicated) and soft knowledge (not easily communicated) that exist at multiple levels (individual, group, and organization). In this view, both information and soft knowledge consist of internal components (information known personally by group members within the organization) and external components (information not known personally by group members but retrievable when required) that are available from multiple sources, including people, computers, and other media.

OM Retrieval: Demand-Side Elements

Few formal OM conceptualizations emphasize the demand-side aspect of information retrieval. Nonetheless, studies within several disciplines have generated insights about the sources from which users [Page 1140]tend to retrieve information. Psychology research demonstrates that users tend to retrieve information from themselves rather than from others. Informationstudies research shows that users prefer human sources over documentary sources. Knowledge-management research shows that users find centralized information more accessible than dispersed information. Finally, organizational-learning and economics-of-information research show that users can transfer information that is codified or explicit more easily than they can transfer information that is noncodified or tacit.

OM Storage and Retrieval: Integrating the Supply and Demand Sides

Traditional conceptualizations of OM storage often involve a distributed and overlapping structure of information within the organization. Distributed structure means that different information components are stored in multiple locations in an organization. For instance, knowledge of how to weld metal exists in welding instruction manuals and in the heads of expert welders. Instruction manuals provide general information on how to weld, but expert welders have unique implementation skills that instruction manuals often do not capture. Overlapping structure means that the same information is stored in multiple locations within the organization. To continue the welding example, general descriptive information about welding tools exists both in manuals and in the heads of experts (overlap between codified and noncodified information). In addition, welding instruction manuals can appear in many books and computer Web sites (overlap of codified information). The distributed and overlapping structure of information within the organization makes it difficult for researchers to determine the sources of OM that people draw on and whether various sources offer greater or lesser retrieval potential.

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