Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown

Roberts, Joanne (2012) Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown. Management Learning, 44 (3). pp. 215-236. ISSN 1350-5076

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Abstract

This article aims to bring organizational ignorance to the attention of management scholars and practitioners and thereby initiate the development of a managerial perspective on the unknown. Although managing every aspect of the unknown is beyond reach, the development of an appreciation of organizational ignorance can offer a valuable means of reflecting on management issues, particularly given the bounded rationality of organizational actors in contexts characterized by ever increasing supplies of knowledge and information, growing complexity, and the need to respond quickly to opportunities and challenges. The article begins with an account of why organizational ignorance warrants attention. The nature of ignorance and organizational ignorance is then considered and a typology of organizational ignorance is presented. The article concludes with a call for the development of a managerial perspective on the unknown, together with the elaboration of research questions that can usefully direct future investigations into organizational ignorance.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ignorance, knowledge, organizational ignorance, ignorance management, the unknown
Subjects:	N200 Management studies
Department:	Faculties > Business and Law > Newcastle Business School
Depositing User:	Helen Pattison
Date Deposited:	24 May 2012 10:29
Last Modified:	19 Nov 2019 09:51
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/7389

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