Unlike organizational learning, the concept of organizational unlearning has rarely been employed in empirical research. Based on a comparative case analysis, this article examines knowledge transfer, by foreign partners, to acquisition joint ventures in China. Because an acquisition joint venture is formed on the basis of an existing state enterprise, the need for organizational unlearning arises. The article investigates how issues related to organizational unlearning affect knowledge transfer in each stage of the transfer process, namely, initiation, implementation, ramp-up and integration.
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