What have scholars retrieved from Walsh and Ungson (1991)? A citation context study

Abstract

Organizational memory is fundamentally important to organizational learning. The seminal work on organizational memory is Walsh and Ungson’s article published in the Academy of Management Review in 1991. More than 300 articles have cited this classic work, but a simple citation count reveals nothing about the nature of what has been retrieved. We examine this issue through a citation context analysis (i.e. content analysis) of the citations that citing authors have made to this classic article. Our analysis provides a richer understanding of which knowledge claims made by Walsh and Ungson have been retrieved and have had the greatest impact on later work in the area of organizational memory, and also what criticisms have been leveled against their claims. Through this analysis and a review of the citing articles that contain the largest number of citations to Walsh and Ungson, we identify several important directions for future research.