Wisdom and Management in the Knowledge Economy

Today there are more technology, technologists, knowledge and experts than at any time in human history; but from a global perspective, it is difficult to argue that this accumulation of knowledge and technology has put the world in an unambiguously better position than it was in the past. Business is not getting any easier to do and major corporate collapses based on poor decisions, poor conduct, and poor judgement continue to occur. In public administration too, basic institutions and services (education, health, transport) seem to be continually undergoing “crises” of inadequate delivery and excessive pressure. Wisdom and Management in the Knowledge Economy explains why unwise managerial practice can happen in a world characterized by an excess of information and knowledge.

Drawing on Aristotle’s idea of practical wisdom, the book develops a theory of social practice wisdom that addresses important social psychological and sociological dynamics that underpin wise management and organizations. As well as providing a detailed theory of social practice wisdom, this book considers practical issues in organizational communication, behavior, culture, change and knowledge as well as in HRM, leadership, ethics, strategy, international business, business education, and wisdom research. By introducing the notion of social practice wisdom, aspects of social structure, organizational culture, and organizational communication needed for wisdom to flourish are for the first time rendered visible in a way that opens new possibilities for wiser management, wiser organizations, and wisdom research.

David Rooney is a Senior Lecturer in Knowledge Management, UQ Business School. He has researched, taught and published widely in the areas of the knowledge-based economy, knowledge management, and wisdom. His books include Public Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy, the Handbook on the Knowledge Economy, and Knowledge Policy: Challenges for the Twenty First Century. Rooney has published in many leading academic journals including The Leadership Quarterly, Public Administration Review, Human Relations, and Management Communication Quarterly.

Peter Liesch is a Professor of International Business and Chair of the Strategy Cluster in the UQ Business School at The University of Queensland, Australia. He has a textbook published by McGraw-Hill: Dowling, Liesch, Gray and Hill (2009) International Business, Asia-Pacific Edition. He has published many book chapters, and widely in academic journals including Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of World Business, and others. He is Editor of the Management & Entrepreneurship Department at the Journal of World Business.

Bernard McKenna is a Senior Lecturer in Communication, UQ Business School. He has won two large industry-funded ARC grants and has about 100 research outputs (including books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, and other publications). Academic journal publications include Applied Linguistics, Critical Discourse Studies, Leadership Quarterly , and others. He is on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Critical Discourse Studies (also Book Review Editor), Communication Studies, and Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines.