Organizational unlearning: A process of tension imposition, integration, and splitting
通过吉利汽车的纵向案例研究，揭示了组织遗忘过程中信念与惯例变化的微观实践，将其分为张力施加、整合与分裂三个阶段，对理解如何实现组织遗忘有重要参考价值。
Abstract Organizational unlearning plays a vital role in facilitating new product development (NPD); however, the microprocesses of unlearning (i.e., how to unlearn) remain unclear. We aim to open this black box by investigating how two important dimensions—beliefs and routines—change during the unlearning process, using a longitudinal case study approach. Through a case study of Geely Auto, we identified specific cognitive and behavioral practices in the unlearning process and categorized them into three stages according to their time of occurrence and consequences. By adopting a tension lens, we demonstrate that unlearning involves three sequential steps: tension imposition, integration, and splitting. Our case study demonstrates that unlearning NPD processes involves a complex interweaving of changes in beliefs and routines. We advance the literature on learning by revealing the microprocesses that underlie organizational unlearning, and we open a broad avenue for future research to explore the microfoundations of organizational unlearning.