Playing Dumb: How Performative Ignorance Among Leaders is Killing Workplace Trust

The Act of Playing Dumb

We’ve all been there. You’re in a meeting, laying out the cold, hard truth about a workplace issue that’s been festering for months. Suddenly, your boss furrows their brow, sighs deeply, and says, “Wow, I had no idea this was happening.” Cue the awkward silence, side-eyes, and suppressed eye rolls.

Performative ignorance: the workplace equivalent of claiming you didn’t see the giant pile of dishes in the sink while you binge Netflix. It’s the act of pretending you don’t know something you absolutely should know—usually to dodge accountability, criticism, or the moral obligation to do something about it.

But here’s the problem. Playing dumb doesn’t work. Not anymore. Employees are smarter, savvier, and more skeptical than ever. They can smell BS faster than you can type, “Let’s circle back.” And when leaders feign ignorance, it doesn’t inspire empathy or buy them time. It breeds frustration, cynicism, and, worst of all, distrust.

So why do leaders keep pulling this tired move? And how can workplaces ditch the act and get real about accountability? Let’s unpack it.

Why Leaders Play Stupid

There’s a twisted sort of logic behind performative ignorance. It’s a way for leaders to avoid hard conversations without outright denying a problem exists. Here’s how it plays out:

1. The Blame Deflector: If I didn’t know, it’s not my fault. Leaders feign ignorance to shift the focus away from their own lack of action. “If only someone had told me,” they say, as if the whispers in the breakroom and the red flags in engagement surveys weren’t blaring alarms.
2. The Empathy Gambit: Performative ignorance is also a bid for sympathy. Leaders think that if they appear genuinely shocked or blindsided, their employees might cut them some slack. “I’m just as upset about this as you are,” they insist, ignoring the fact that their job is to not be surprised by workplace dysfunction.
3. The Buy-Time Tactic: Sometimes, leaders act clueless to stall for time. “I’ll need to investigate this,” they say, which often translates to, “Let’s hope you forget about this by next quarter.”

The Fallout of Playing Dumb

Performative ignorance might seem like a safe bet, but it’s a ticking time bomb for workplace culture. Here’s why:

1. It Undermines Credibility: When leaders pretend not to know what’s going on, employees stop trusting them. If you didn’t know about the toxic manager, the overloaded team, or the ridiculous policy bottleneck, what do you know?
2. It Breeds Cynicism: Performative ignorance makes employees cynical about leadership’s willingness—or ability—to create real change. If the boss “didn’t know,” it’s because they weren’t paying attention, didn’t care, or were too detached to notice.
3. It Erodes Accountability: Leaders are supposed to own problems, not avoid them. Playing dumb shifts responsibility away from where it belongs—at the top. Employees notice, and they remember.

Why Performative Ignorance Doesn’t Work Anymore

In the age of radical transparency, performative ignorance is a relic of a bygone era. Employees are sharing their stories on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and TikTok. They’re organizing, unionizing, and holding leadership accountable in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago.

Simply put: you can’t “not know” anymore. The information is there—emails, Slack threads, surveys, one-on-ones. If you’re a leader who claims ignorance, the question isn’t “Why didn’t you know?” but “Why weren’t you paying attention?”

How Leaders Can Stop Playing Dumb and Start Owning It

1. Admit When You’ve Missed Something: There’s a difference between performative ignorance and genuine oversight. If you’ve been out of the loop, own it without deflecting blame. Say, “I should have caught this earlier,” and follow it with action.
2. Close the Feedback Loops: Leadership isn’t about sitting in an ivory tower—it’s about staying connected to what’s happening on the ground. Create systems where feedback is welcomed, not buried under layers of bureaucracy.
3. Ask the Hard Questions : Don’t wait for employees to come to you. Be proactive. Ask your team what’s working, what’s not, and what’s being swept under the rug. And when they answer, listen.
4. Commit to Transparency : If there’s an issue, don’t act shocked—act accountable. Share what you’re doing to fix it, even if the solution isn’t perfect yet. Employees will respect you more for trying than for pretending.

The Dumb Days are Over

Leaders who cling to performative ignorance are playing a dangerous game—one that erodes trust, damages morale, and leaves employees questioning why they’re even showing up.

But there’s another way. Leadership doesn’t require knowing everything, but it does require being honest, engaged, and accountable. Employees don’t need their bosses to be perfect; they need them to be present.

So, the next time you’re tempted to feign surprise, pause. Ask yourself: is this about avoiding blame, or about creating real change? Because if it’s the former, your employees have already figured it out.

And trust me—nobody respects a boss who plays dumb.