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Institutional memory

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Institutional memory comprises a range of human endeavors to assure intellectual knowledge preservation. Systems of socialization and control are conserved via institutional memories, via rules, procedures, technologies, beliefs and culture.

It is essential for the collective well being of mankind to preserve concise, accurate, relevant memories, wisdom, and know how for future use, readily available from across the breadth of institutions, cultures, individuals, governments, religions, publishing, the media and the disciplines of academia.

Among the inherent responsibilities incumbent upon the keepers of institutional memory:

  • protecting the intellectual assets of diverse cultures, languages and organizational entities
  • sustaining the use of memorialized data, re-investing by means of academic scrutiny and peer review
  • leveraging literary and intellectual assets where appropriate, circulating knowledge via libraries, etc.
  • protecting the integrity of cultural and institutional memory
  • managing intellectual property and risk exposures

Institutional knowledge

Institutional knowledge is commonly considered to be the knowledge gained through various resources which enable organizations to translate historical data into useful knowledge, or wisdom. Institutional memory depends upon the preservation of data and the analytical skills necessary for effective use of information, collectively, within an organization.

Collective memory is mediated by the opportunities for, and control of, learning aimed at meeting or exceeding organizational objectives. Religion is, perhaps, the most powerful institutional force acting upon humanity's collective memory. By teaching the same tenets always, in sometimes less than static cultural conditions, the doctrine of religious institutions helps to assure a given society will continue getting the same results tbat it had been getting. A contrasting view, expressed in Marxist theory, is that the mechanism whereby knowledge and wisdom are passed down through the generations is determined by a sort of social Darwinism, in accordance with the principles of 'economic determinism'. In either instance, whether for the preservation of doctrine or the abetment of dynamic creativity, every institution has a vested interest in controlling and leveraging institutional memories.

The structure of an organization determines the training requirements associated with various roles, each involving expectations of behavior requiring ever greater qualifications, and knowledge, at the higher echelons. Such knowledge often exceeds the capacity or training of an individual, sometimes resulting in manifestations of Administrative incompetence. Individuals lacking necessary competence, often promoted due to the Peter principle, can in some instances attribute their shortcomings to the lack of adequate assimilation of institutional memory.

Literature and documents

Literary history, of which [[publishing] is only a part, is a curious undertaking. Efforts to preserve historical documents in places like the

Publishing in Europe and the United States, in its organization, financing, distribution, and bottom line emphasis, has little resemblance to what it was in generations past. The dissemination of knowledge in printed media has been consolidated under the control of a relatively few corporate publishers, many with ties to mass entertainment multi-national conglomerates.

Personal reminiscences

Until the advent of the written word, memories had been shared exclusively by other means. A great number of oral traditions can be traced back to the dawn of civilization, but many societies and languages have been extinquished as a result of colonialism and the introduction of non-native cultures throughout the farthest reaches of the globe in recent history.

Ensuring that the collective memory of non-electronic knowledge remains intact, however, will require collaborative efforts with, and the wisdom of, the cadre of elder citizens steeped in the knowledge of distant times and fading cultures.

Is institutional memory fading?

Various types of organizational education systems exist, many threatened in the information age by newer technologies. It is àpropos to maintain electronic access to significant historical archives, in repositories such as the Wikisource database. Increasing archival activity in recent years, spurred by increasing use of electronic data retrieval systems, has necessitated enhancement of certain document repositories, while actually improving accessibility. The teaching of mathematics, for instance, has been fundamentally altered by the algorithmic shortcuts enabled by calculators.

Quote

  • "If you know your history, then you would know where you're coming from."[1] Bob Marley

See also

External links

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