A Bibliometric and Systematic Literature Review of Unlearning Research: Evidence from Emerging Countries Using the IPO Framework

<ns5:p>Objective This study aims to systematically evaluate the development, mechanisms, and strategic implications of unlearning research in the context of emerging countries, as well as analyze the evolution of unlearning construction at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Methods This study uses a systematic literature review and bibliometric approach based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Literature research was conducted through Scopus, EBSCO, Dimensions, and ProQuest databases using keywords related to unlearning and emerging countries. Out of a total of 694 initial articles, 58 articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. The analysis was carried out using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to map publication trends, theme development, and keyword networks, and continued with thematic synthesis using the Input–Process–Output (IPO) Framework. Results The results show that the construction of unlearning has evolved from a cognitive forgetting perspective to a multidimensional approach that includes organizational learning, innovation capability, digital transformation, and socio-technical adaptation. Unlearning research is still experiencing theoretical and methodological fragmentation between fields, especially between cognitive psychology, organizational learning, education, and digital transformation. In addition, the results of the synthesis show that unlearning is influenced by capability gaps, organizational routines, resource limitations, institutional pressures, and turbulence environments that affect the processes of forgetting, relearning, reflection, and adaptive experimentation. The main outcomes of unlearning include the formation of new knowledge, organizational agility, innovation capability, resilience, and digital readiness. Conclusion This research offers the IPO Framework as a multilevel integrative framework to explain the relationship between antecedents, process mechanisms, and strategic outcomes of unlearning. These findings confirm that unlearning is a strategic capability that supports adaptive transformation and organizational resilience in organizations in emerging countries that face the pressure of digital disruption and institutional uncertainty.</ns5:p>