Organizational Memory: Retrieval Demands and Effectiveness

學校應該學習與組織記憶、組織學習以及體制論相關之知識。其中，組織記憶有助於問題解決與決策制訂（Hanson, 2001），且能協助學校維持不易被模仿、獨特的競爭優勢，並能有效提高組織績效表現及降低成本（Wexler, 2002）。許多組織記憶相關的研究結論顯示，組織成員流動會嚴重影響組織記憶成長（Carley, 1992）。因此，如何有效獲取、保留、維護及存取（retrieve）組織成員的知識，以避免重要的組織記憶消失（Walsh 和 Ungson, 1991;），儼然成為當前組織最需要關切的課題之一（Lahaie, 2005）。本研究整理、分析組織記憶相關文獻，發現藉由中介變項：書面化程度、可接近性、資深知識者角色行為、協同教學行為與知識分享行為以管理組織記憶，可滿足教師的組織記憶存取需求（retrieval demands），維持組織記憶的有效性。 本研究透過問卷調查法，以幼稚園組織中在園年資一年以下與三年以上的教師為研究對象，徵詢教師對組織記憶的存取需求、組織記憶有效性及教師績效知覺三構面的實際感受。總共發出問卷470份，問卷回收率為44.7%，在剔除不適合的問卷後，得到私幼有效樣本161份、公幼有效樣本19份。由於公幼樣本過少，故公幼教師的意見以描述統計方式呈現；私幼樣本則進行組間差異分析、相關分析及迴歸分析，並進行研究假設檢定。 研究結果顯示，本研究七項假設皆獲得支持，即幼稚園教師確實具有組織記憶存取需求，且教師在遭遇工作上的困難時，也經常採取實際詢問行為以解決其組織記憶存取需求，且93%的受訪教師認為其獲得的組織記憶具有效性。其次，教師的在園年資與幼教年資愈短，對組織記憶存取需求則愈高。 在中介變項的分析上，受訪教師除了對協同教學行為此變項持有不同認知外，均認為書面化程度、可接近性、資深知識者角色行為與知識分享行為皆有助於組織記憶建構。迴歸分析結果也顯示，無論教師年資之長短，以園長或資深教師擔任諮詢輔導角色，最能維繫組織記憶有效性，也能提升教師績效知覺；其次，增加知識分享行為亦可達到類似結果。故幼稚園組織在處理組織記憶問題時，應讓園長或資深教師擔任資深知識者的角色，並建立教師之間知識分享的機制，讓教師能有效獲取、保留、維護及存取組織記憶，進而促進組織學習、建立競爭優勢並提高教師績效表現。Hanson(2001) declared that schools should get insights from the literature regarding organizational memory, organizational learning and institutional theory. Organizational memory can support organizational members to acquire knowledge in problem-solving and decision-making activities (Walsh and Ungson, 1991). Moreover, organizational memory could be viewed as an intangible asset if successfully managed, and it might confer competitive advantages and lower transaction cost (Wexler, 2002). Day (1994) claimed that organizational memory is as a repository for collective memory which lain in policies, procedures, routines, and rules that can be retrieved when organization members needed. Stein and Zwass (1995) defined that organizational memory as “the means by which knowledge from the past is brought to bear present activities, thus resulting in higher or lower levels of organizational effectiveness.” Levitt and March(1996) also mentioned that “the lesson of history are likely to be lost through turnover of personnel (Hanson, 2001).” These statements implied that personnel turnover is the main threat of organizational memory (Stein and Zwass, 1995). This study wants to explore the relationship between teachers’ turnover, retrieval demands and effectiveness of organizational memory and the performance of kindergartens. Moreover, researcher wants to investigate the elements that have the most influence upon organizational memory effectiveness. Drawn from organization memory literature, we found that knowledge externalization, accessibility of organizational memory, senior teachers and principal’s behavior, team-teaching behavior, and knowledge-sharing behavior are determinants of organizational memory effectiveness.The major finding was that teachers definitely have retrieval demands toward organizational memory, especially new-employed teachers. New teachers need senior teachers and principal’s guidance to help them solve problems and make decisions. The more assistances senior teachers and principal can offer, new teachers are more satisfied with organizational memory. That means new teachers can retrieve organizational memory successfully; moreover, they will be more contented with organizational memory effectiveness and show higher personal performance. As for intervening variables, researcher have detected that senior teachers and principal’s behavior and knowledge-sharing behavior show the primary influence upon organizational memory effectiveness. Consequently, management teams of kindergartens should attempt to create opportunities for teachers to share their knowledge. After knowledge-sharing procedure, teachers’ retrieval demands of organizational memory will be fulfilled, effectiveness of organizational memory will be maintained, and personal performance will be lifted as well