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Introducing a ‘stop-doing’ culture: How to free your organization from rigidity

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  • Klammer, Adrian
  • Grisold, Thomas
  • Gueldenberg, Stefan

Abstract

Individuals and organizations cannot learn perpetually. Managers should be aware that unlearning becomes necessary to discard obsolete and outdated mental models, assumptions, behaviors, or routines. We investigated new product development teams and interviewed change consultants to explore the phenomenon of unlearning in real-life contexts. We particularly focus on examples of cases in which these steps have been used and implemented successfully. In order to make room for new knowledge and foster innovations more efficiently, we identify and suggest four critical steps managers can introduce to help their employees unlearn: creating situational awareness, providing islands of temporal and spatial freedom, encouraging an error-forgiving and stop-doing culture, and reducing the influence of old knowledge over time. Fostering unlearning can prevent rigidity and stagnation while opening up room for innovation. This article adds an important practical dimension to the mainly theoretical ideas in the field of unlearning and provides strong implications for managers and other practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Klammer, Adrian & Grisold, Thomas & Gueldenberg, Stefan, 2019. "Introducing a ‘stop-doing’ culture: How to free your organization from rigidity," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 451-458.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:62:y:2019:i:4:p:451-458
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2019.03.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Leal-Rodríguez, Antonio Luis & Eldridge, Stephen & Roldán, José Luis & Leal-Millán, Antonio Genaro & Ortega-Gutiérrez, Jaime, 2015. "Organizational unlearning, innovation outcomes, and performance: The moderating effect of firm size," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 803-809.
    2. Yildiz, H. Emre & Fey, Carl F., 2010. "Compatibility and unlearning in knowledge transfer in mergers and acquisitions," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 448-456, December.
    3. Wensley, Anthony K.P. & Navarro, Juan Gabriel Cegarra, 2015. "Overcoming knowledge loss through the utilization of an unlearning context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1563-1569.
    4. Zachary Sheaffer & Rita Mano‐Negrin, 2003. "Executives’ Orientations as Indicators of Crisis Management Policies and Practices," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 573-606, March.
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