BNET Business Dictionary

Business Definition for: Corporate Amnesia

loss of organizational history and memory. Corporate amnesia occurs when senior or long-standing members of staff leave and their personal knowledge, built up from years of experience in the company, goes with them. This is occurring more frequently with the rise in downsizing and delayering, and the phenomenon goes hand in hand with the anorexic organization. Amnesia can be a significant disadvantage to an organization, causing it to forget the lessons it has learned and to waste time and effort in doing things again.

Fire and forget?(corporate culture): Downsizing has caused many companies to lose valuable knowledge in product design, management style and customer service through the firing of talented employees. Companies must make an effort to retain this knowledge after the employee leaves through management software or other records.NEW YORK Having spent the 1990s in the...; Tags: Delta Air Lines Inc., downsizing, knowledge, memory, re-engineering, Strategy; Research articles 1996-04-20
Commentary: Amnesia spreads through nation's capital: Webster's Dictionary defines amnesia as the unconscious suppression of a painful experience. For some strange reason, this illness is infecting government officials, corporate executives and a variety of other citizens.Let's start with Michael Brown, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Brownie, as he was called by the...; Tags: White House; Research articles 2006-02-17