City Research Online

Memory objects in project environments: Storing, retrieving and adapting learning in project-based firms

Cacciatori, E. (2008). Memory objects in project environments: Storing, retrieving and adapting learning in project-based firms. Research Policy, 37(9), pp. 1591-1601. doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2008.04.028

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of objects holding representations of knowledge in the transfer of learning across projects. On the basis of an in-depth case study, this paper shows that the way in which relatively simple artifacts, such as Excel workbooks, represent knowledge enables them to act as boundary objects across occupations and as memory devices across projects. It is the temporal capacity of these boundary objects that makes them points of juncture in a widely distributed memory system, enabling project-based firms to balance preservation and adaptation of knowledge. The mechanisms for the preservation of learning are not missing from project environments, rather they are less visible and less direct than in other settings, and therefore less docile in the face of managerial action.

Publication Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2008, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords: Project-based organizing; Organizational memory; Boundary objects; Artifacts; Construction industry
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science
Departments: Bayes Business School > Management
SWORD Depositor:
[thumbnail of Cacciatori_RP2008.pdf]
Preview
Text - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (219kB) | Preview

Export

Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

Actions (login required)

Admin Login Admin Login