
Mats Alvesson
Professor

Dynamics of wilful ignorance in organizations
Author
Summary, in English
Contemporary society is obsessed with knowledge, leaving its less seductive counterpart, ignorance, in the shadows. However, as an expanding literature suggests, it is equally important to understand ignorance and consider its varieties. This study specifies the nature of wilful ignorance in organizations. It does so by (a) making a distinction between the will of an actor and the epistemic properties of ignorance, and showing how these two form a dynamic relationship, (b) linking wilful ignorance to its various drivers and (c) suggesting how our concept of wilful ignorance can be used in the study of organizations. Rather than reducing the phenomenon into a simple to know/to ignore dichotomy, we concentrate on its processual and dynamic nature. Moreover, we explore the complexities and ambiguity inherently involved in all knowing and ignoring as well as the role of agency in reducing the harmful effects of wilful ignorance in organizations.
Department/s
- Organizational Studies
- CIRCLE
Publishing year
2022-08-05
Language
English
Pages
839-858
Publication/Series
British Journal of Sociology
Volume
73
Issue
4
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Topic
- Business Administration
Keywords
- ignorance
- knowledge
- organizational dynamics
- organizational processes
- wilful ignorance
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0007-1315