Empirical Study On The Relationship Between Intentional Forgetting And Organizational Innovation

In the enterprise development process, innovation is a constant topic. Enterprises need innovation to enhance sustainable development. Organization innovation is the source and fundamental of enterprise innovation vitality. Organizational learning is a necessity for enterprise to implement organizational innovation, increase innovation, and improve performance; it is a key factor for enterprises to gain competitive advantage. Thus, many companies are trying to build learning organizations. However, learning is a double-edged sword. The improvement of enterprises'competitiveness will be hindered if the organizations are not good at screening value of knowledge, avoiding the damage of the knowledge on organizational competitiveness, forgetting the inherent knowledge of the organization's competitiveness which gradually erode the organization or will not learn to forget during study. Therefore,"the enterprise should not only to learn but also to forget".In recent years, increasing attention have been paid to organization forgetting . However, the research on organizational learning and organizational innovation more focuses on how organizations access effective knowledge and to promote it while less see how intentional forgetting influence organizational innovation. This study defined the content and dimensions of intentional forgetting, organizational learning, and organizational innovation from the angles of intentional forgetting of the ineffective or harmful knowledge. This research focuses on the relationship between intentional forgetting, organizational learning capability and organizational innovation, and analyzes how organizational culture mediate the relationship between intentional forgetting and organizational learning capability.This study uses qualitative and quantitative research methods, builds the research model between intentional forgetting and organizational innovation based on the existing theories and research results. 15 hypotheses were proposed by learning from domestic and foreign research results, expert interview. Research advances the testing methods and measurement indicators of intentional forgetting, organizational learning capability, organizational innovation and organizational culture, establishing research questionnaire. AMOS17.0 and SPSS16.0 statistical analysis software were used to analyze collected samples, analyses the independent variable, dependent variable and mediate variables. Finally the model was validated.Empirical results show that intentional forgetting has a direct positive impact on organizational learning capacity; organizational learning capacity has a direct positive impact on organizational innovation; intentional forgetting has a positive impact on organizational innovation through organizational learning capability; avoid bad habits has a positive impact on management innovation; bureaucratic corporate culture has a reverse regulating role on the relationship between intentional forgetting and organizational learning capability, innovative corporate culture has a positive regulating role on the relationship between unlearning and organizational learning capability; supported corporate culture has a positive regulating role on the relationship between avoid bad habits and organizational learning capability. Of the total 15 hypothesis, 11 hypotheses are supported; 1 hypothesis is partially supported; 3 hypotheses are not supported.This research offer following contribution: First, the perspective is original, this study stems from the angels of intentional forgetting that abandon ineffective or harmful knowledge which exist both inside and outside of the organization, discusses the relationship between intentional forgetting, organizational learning capability and organizational innovation. Second, empirical method was used to do the research on the relationship between intentional forgetting, organizational learning capability and organizational innovation, making up the existing research. The research improves and develops the measurement scale of unlearning and avoids bad habits, which have been proved to be reliable for empirical research, and provides a useful reference to follow up the theory and empirical research. Third, through this research, build and validate a theoretical model on the relationship between intentional forgetting and organizational innovation, find that intentional forgetting support organizational learning capabilities, thereby promoting organizational innovation, and organizational culture has a regulating role on both intentional forgetting and organizational learning capability. The results enhance research in the field of organizational forgetting and bring management a reverse thinking to managers for seeking organizational learning capability and organizational innovation improvement in the future.