Preprint / Version 1

The Impact of CEO’s Attention on Organizational Unlearning in SMEs

##article.authors##

  • Naoya Yoshimine Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University 

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51094/jxiv.1333

Keywords:

organizational unlearning, destabilization, Attention-Based View, entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, market orientation

Abstract

This study conducts a literature review on organizational unlearning to identify its representative factors in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on the Attention-Based View (ABV), it proposes a hypothetical model to explore how CEOs’ attention allocation across three types of strategic orientation (SO)—entrepreneurial orientation (EO), learning orientation (LO), and market orientation (MO)—influences the destabilization process of organizational unlearning —the initial stage where old knowledge is questioned— and how CEOs' personal attributes affect their attention allocation to SO. This study suggests that in the unlearning process of SMEs, the progress and patterns may differ depending on how CEOs allocate their attention across various types of SO. Although the literature on organizational unlearning acknowledges the influence of organizational members' cognition, the underlying mechanisms remain under-theorized. This study addresses this gap by conceptualizing CEOs' cognition in the destabilization process, thereby providing unique insights.

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure

The author of this study, Naoya Yoshimine, is the CEO of Imvad Co., Ltd., a company operating in the insurance agency industry, which is the subject of this research.

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Submitted: 2025-06-25 13:16:21 UTC

Published: 2025-07-01 00:51:50 UTC
Section
Economics, Business & Management