Search

Counter-knowledge comes from unverified sources of information such as hoaxes, rumours or partial lies. It creates an atmosphere of lack of trust that often leads individuals into making risky decisions. In contexts of high uncertainty, the flow of counter-knowledge is likely to increase. Although scientists and scientific institutions can provide knowledge based on evidence and verifiable facts, they may find it difficult to react to the proliferation of counter-knowledge which affects their own credibility. This paper adopts concepts derived from the knowledge management field to shed light on this problem. Examples from the recent history of Italy are discussed. Useful lessons for the public and policymakers are derived. These lessons become particularly relevant in the context of a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world experiences a combination of factors that provide a fertile ground for the emergence of both scientific knowledge and social counter-knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disinformation and misconceptions based on unverified information (e.g., hoaxes, exaggerations, or gossip) is what is called "counter-knowledge". Knowledge management corridors establish a framework for relationships between the external and internal knowledge processes to enhance organisational performance. This study proposes three knowledge management processes (i.e., realised absorptive capacity, organisational memory, and knowledge application) as those that constitute such critical corridors. The analysis of the role of uncontrolled counter-knowledge in the relationship between those knowledge management processes is the value of this paper. Hypotheses were tested using a SEM approach based on composites (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 151 branch-office managers belonging to the Spanish banking industry. The results show that counter-knowledge is only related to realised absorptive capacity and knowledge application, being the influence negative. The link between counter-knowledge and the other two constructs (i.e., organisational memory and organisational performance) provides surprising results being statistically insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of higher education students may be explained by characteristics of both the academic and social environment in the classroom. The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for creating shared narratives to transfer gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper focuses on unlearning as a context to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge. The relationships between an unlearning context and counter-knowledge are analysed by using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students in order to identify whether there is a significant impact on student's goal orientation by unlearning. Our results confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation. However, when left uncontrolled, the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation is weaker than it otherwise would be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – People live and work in a world where they do not have complete knowledge and, as a result, they make use of rumours, beliefs and assumptions about relevant areas of concern. The term counter-knowledge has been used to refer to knowledge created from unverified sources. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge and human capital (HC) as well as investigating interactions between absorptive capacity (ACAP) and HC. Design/methodology/approach – A model is tested to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge, HC and the financial performance of 112 companies listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange. Findings – The results are calculated using structural equation modelling. This leads to the main conclusion that while the increasing presence of counter-knowledge leads to a reduction of ACAP and, by extension with HC. However, in the context of the sample, HC has positive effects on firms’ performance. Therefore, consideration must be given to the evaluation of the real cost of counter-knowledge or inappropriate assumptions on HC. Practical implications – The key managerial implication of this paper is that management should actively develop an organizational culture which questions the source of any knowledge and favours evidence-based reasoning over reasoning based on “gut instinct”, what has worked in the past and reasoning based on rumours and gossip. Originality/value – This paper provides empirical support for the argument that the all so-called “knowledge” generated from the sharing of unverified news is not necessarily good knowledge. Rumours or gossip shared thanks to unverified sources are some examples that illustrate people possibility to create inappropriate or false beliefs via unsupported explanations and justifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]