Exploring the Mindset Models of Public Sector Managers Regarding the Phenomenon of "Knowledge Ignorance"

Knowledge and power are two sides of the same coin, which the phrase “the Knowledge, the Power” evokes it, but does this understanding mean more knowledge? Or it means distinguishing what we should know and what we should not know. It is simpler that “sometimes we know that it is better not to know”. Therefore, we reject knowledge. This phenomenon is called “knowledge ignorance”. This study seeks to understand and discover its dimensions from the point of view of senior managers in public sector. The lived experience of researchers along with senior managers in different organizations is the origin of this study. The results of this study show that the behavioral strategies of managers indicate that the acquisition of knowledge is not power in itself; but on the opposite front, ignorance and lack of transparency compete with knowledge. The current study is a qualitative research that was conducted using the Q-research method. Qualitative data in this study are derived from in-depth interviews with 16 senior managers in the public sector. The findings indicate that due to organizational, environmental and personal reasons, managers sometimes “deliberately and consciously” ignore knowledge and "ignore" when faced with evidence that contradicts their beliefs.