The seven pillars of paradoxical organizational wisdom: on the use of paradox as a vehicle to synthesize knowledge and ignorance

Different authors have defined wisdom in various ways in management and organization studies. In an influential definition, Kessler and Bailey (2007, p. lxvii) denote it as “the application to professional pursuits of a deep understanding and fundamental capacity for living well.” More recently, van Dierendonck and Patterson (2015) noted that (p. 123), although “an exact definition of wisdom is difficult to give,” wisdom is usually related to “people who can bridge contradictions” holistically. Ashforth, Rogers, Pratt, and Pradies (2014, p. 1465) also argued that wisdom is the “capacity, in part, to simultaneously acknowledge and embrace opposing orientations, and thereby strive for a course of action that honors both.”