Abstraction and history-from institutional amnesia to organizational memory

This paper discusses organizational memory and contrasts two different approaches for building information systems that support institutional memory. Organizational memory is shown to comprise an essentially institutional component, which may store information on previous experiences in two ways: as consensual cognitive abstractions or as episodes. Both types of memory are required for organizational learning, and they lead to qualitatively different support system implementations. Information technology can be used to change non-institutional organizational memories into institutional memories, enabling new organizational forms and processes. Theoretical background and experiences from supporting organizational memory in generic design processes, from strategic planning to product concept specification, will be presented