Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of organizational forgetting on knowledge-intensive firms and the circumstances in which the loss of distinctive knowledge takes place. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical research in this paper consists of a qualitative proposal based on two case studies in higher education involving situations of organizational forgetting. Findings – A framework for conceptualizing organizational forgetting. Moreover, the results of the case study analysis include a categorization of organizational forgetting and a set of propositions about their causes. Originality/value – Scientific research on knowledge management has focused on the processes of knowledge creation, use and transfer, but has devoted little attention to the processes of knowledge degradation and destruction.

Over recent decades, the increasing competitiveness of markets has propagated the term “lean” to describe the management concept for improving productivity, quality, and lead time in industrial as well as services operations. Its overuse and linkage to different specifiers (surnames) have created confusion and misunderstanding as the term approximates pragmatic ambiguity. Through a systematic literature review, this study takes a historical perspective to analyze 4962 papers and 20 seminal books in order to clarify the origin, evolution, and diversification of the lean concept. Our main contribution lies in identifying 17 specifiers for the term “lean” and proposing four mechanisms to explain this diversification. Our research results are useful to both academics and practitioners to return to the Lean origins in order to create new research areas and conduct organizational transformations based on solid concepts. We conclude that the use of “lean” as a systemic thinking is likely to be further extended to new research fields.

Little is known about learning processes in horizontal networks. This study focuses on networks as learning entities, i.e. learning by multiple organizations as a group, and the mechanisms involved in developing and addressing a network-level performance goal. By using a narrative approach, we gather in-depth primary data from network members to examine: how do firms engage in network learning? and, how is network learning coordinated towards a performance goal in a horizontal inter-firm network? Our findings comprise two learning episodes: ‘learning how to compete’ and ‘learning how to perform’. These episodes help us to understand network learning processes; the relationship between network learning and organizational learning; and the regulatory role a hub firm provides towards a collective performance goal.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

In lean production environments, such as the U-shaped cells, flexibility is a priority. Therefore, any element that introduces process stiffness is negatively valued. Former studies establish that robotization of tasks in U-shaped cells presents some drawbacks. For instance: it may complicate continuous improvement, prolong changeover time, use a large space or create safety problems for the operators. However, the collaborative robots (CoBots) may change this situation, since they overcome most of the issues previously mentioned. The present study analyses a real case of de-robotization in a traditional assembly line to transform it into a manual U-shaped line. In a second step a CoBot is integrated in the cell replacing one of the workers. This study empirically compares the manufacturing process in these three scenarios. Results in real production conditions show that a U-shape cell assisted by a CoBot increases productivity and reliability while reducing the surface used. These results suggest that collaborative robotics can be integrated in U-shaped production lines and even increase the efficiency of a traditional robotized assembly line.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version