1. Knowers Rule. OK?
Paul Summers
University of Portsmouth

2. • A knower is defined by Hinken as ―A person
who actively hides his or her lack of
knowledge from others, and is unwilling to be
influenced."
• A learner is defined as "A person who actively
increases his or her ability to produce desired
results."
• A non-learner is "A person who is unaware of,
uninterested in, or ambivalent about any
possible discrepancy between his or her
desired effectual results."

3. • Knowers are comfortable with their current ability
to produce desired results because of their
knowledge and are therefore unwilling to be
influenced by anybody.
• Knowers say someone or something needs to
change whereas the learner says I have to change.
• According to Hinken knowers are stuck in one
place however I suggest knowers make poor
decisions, often ruinous, for their organisations
due to their absolute belief in what they know as
well as a failure to be influenced by anyone who
doesn‟t share their view.

4. Based on Hinken, 2007 p 6

5. The battle of iSandlwana, Anglo Zulu war 1879
“Oh, British troops are
all right; we do not
need to laager – we
have a different
formation.” Lt. Gen F
A Thesiger

6. The sinking of RMS Titanic 1912
"I will go a bit further," he
said. "I will say that I
cannot imagine any
condition which could
cause a ship to founder. I
cannot conceive of any
vital disaster happening to
this vessel. Modern
shipbuilding has gone
beyond that." Captain
Edward J. Smith

7. The project management crisis
―We know why projects fail, we
know how to prevent their
failure – so why do they still
fail?‖ Martin Cobb

8. The banking crisis 2008
• ―No, I do not feel I am particularly personally
culpable.‖ Andy Hornby former Chief
Executive, HBOS plc,

9. • Fetal X-rays – Stewart v Doll
• ―I can give you the statistics, [but] we know
them.‖ Barbara Follett

10. • ―The greatest obstacle to discovery is not
ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge‖
Daniel Boorstin
• ―We are not what we know but what we are
willing to learn.‖ Mary Catherine Bateson
• "Imagination is more important than
knowledge" - Albert Einstein

11. • Reflective practice
• Collaborative learning
• Challenge our assumptions
• Ask why
• Less training, more elicitation
• Critical thinking

12. Based on Hinken, 2007

13. • Ackoff (1981, p.20) writes „There are three kinds of
thing that can be done about problems – they can be
resolved, solved or dissolved.’ Ackoff goes on to suggest
that „resolving‟ requires a solution that is good enough;
that satisfices (Simon, 1956, pp. 129, 136); that is
adequate – a quick fix. This similar to changing our
doing and deals with symptoms only. „Solving‟ optimises
and is a research approach, changing our thinking and
challenging assumptions, whereas „dissolving‟ changes
the nature and /or the environment of a problem and is
a design approach changing our being.

14. The learner’s way
• Hinken‟s book “The learner‟s path” I suggest
“The learner‟s way”. Hinken‟s suggests a linear
progression from A to B whereas I contend
learning needs to be a habit, a way of life and
continuous.

15. Summers principle
• “At every level in all organisations there are
people who are knowers appointed beyond
their desire to learn and their decisions will
lead to crises of varying criticality.”

16. References
• Ackoff, R.L. (1981). „Art and Science of Mess
Management‟, Interfaces, 11 (1) February
• Hinken, B. (2007). The learner's path. Waltham,
MA: Pegasus Communications, Inc.
• Hinken, B. (2010). Facing Organizational
Uncertainty by Learning How to Learn. Leverage
Points.