The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown

Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown
Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown
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.

Keywords: Ignorance; Knowledge; Organizational Ignorance; Ignorance Management, the Unknown.
ignorance, knowledge, organizational ignorance, ignorance management, the unknown
1350-5076
215-236
Roberts, Joanne
c49f0cf6-8c79-4826-b7f2-8563d7aa99cf
Roberts, Joanne
c49f0cf6-8c79-4826-b7f2-8563d7aa99cf

Roberts, Joanne (2013) Organizational ignorance: towards a managerial perspective on the unknown. Management Learning, 44 (3), 215-236. (doi:10.1177/1350507612443208).

Record type: Article

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.

Keywords: Ignorance; Knowledge; Organizational Ignorance; Ignorance Management, the Unknown.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 30 April 2012
Published date: July 2013
Keywords: ignorance, knowledge, organizational ignorance, ignorance management, the unknown
Organisations: Winchester School of Art

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 346913
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/346913
ISSN: 1350-5076
PURE UUID: 1c915cfe-2c3b-4115-bfb3-2e93243484d1
ORCID for Joanne Roberts: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5337-1698

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Jan 2013 11:48
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:46

Export record

Altmetrics

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×