Making Sense of Sensemaking in Organization Studies

Abstract

‘Sensemaking’ is an extraordinarily influential perspective with a substantial following among management and organization scholars interested in how people appropriate and enact their ‘realities’. Organization Studies has been and remains one of the principal outlets for work that seeks either to draw on or to extend our understanding of sensemaking practices in and around organizations. The contribution of this paper is fourfold. First, we review briefly what we understand by sensemaking and some key debates which fracture the field. Second, we attend critically to eight papers published previously in Organization Studies which we discuss in terms of five broad themes: (i) how sense is made through discourse; (ii) the politics from which social forms of sensemaking emerge and the power that is inherent in it; (iii) the intertwined and recursive nature of micro-macro sensemaking processes; (iv) the strong ties which bind sensemaking and identities; and (v) the role of sensemaking processes in decision making and change. Third, while not designed to be a review of extant literature, we discuss these themes with reference to other related work, notably that published in this journal. Finally, we raise for consideration a number of potentially generative topics for further empirical and theory-building research.

Putting resilient sustainability into strategy decisions – case studies

“…The decision flow is not standardised and is discussion-based, flexible, iterative, and moderately consensus-driven. This aligns with cognitive models of decision-making (Mintzberg et al, 2009) particularly sense-making by organisational groups (Brown et al, 2015) and iterative learning (Lindblom, 1959). The company uses few formal methods to compare or generate strategic options, preferring to develop its own tools, and experiences difficulty "importing" approaches.…”

Contingent factors affecting network learning

“…Sensemaking is defined as those processes by which people seek to understand ambiguous, equivocal or confusing issues or events (Brown, Colville, & Pye, 2015) and which acknowledges both discovery, invention and interpretation (Weick, 2006). Brown et al (2015) note that many theorists are reluctant to place sensemaking processes within wider contexts (i.e., cultural, institutional, and organizational structures).…”

“…Sensemaking is defined as those processes by which people seek to understand ambiguous, equivocal or confusing issues or events (Brown, Colville, & Pye, 2015) and which acknowledges both discovery, invention and interpretation (Weick, 2006). Brown et al (2015) note that many theorists are reluctant to place sensemaking processes within wider contexts (i.e., cultural, institutional, and organizational structures). Some researchers recognize that institutions may shape sensemaking (Bardone & Secchi, 2009;O'Malley, Ritchie, Lord, Gregory, & Young, 2009), although frequently limit its influence to the internalized cognitive constraints of individuals and fail to recognize that decision-making in situated contexts is in fact practical, deliberate, and the consequence of dynamic social and reflexive sensemaking processes (Brown et al, 2015).…”

“…Brown et al (2015) note that many theorists are reluctant to place sensemaking processes within wider contexts (i.e., cultural, institutional, and organizational structures). Some researchers recognize that institutions may shape sensemaking (Bardone & Secchi, 2009;O'Malley, Ritchie, Lord, Gregory, & Young, 2009), although frequently limit its influence to the internalized cognitive constraints of individuals and fail to recognize that decision-making in situated contexts is in fact practical, deliberate, and the consequence of dynamic social and reflexive sensemaking processes (Brown et al, 2015). Brown et al (2015) suggest that there is scope for a fuller understanding of the distributed sensemaking of individuals and groups in (and between) organizations to make decisionmaking processes more reliable.…”

Co-constructing meanings in organizational development

“…People construct realities and make sense of them in continuing dialogue of discovery and invention (Brown, Colville, & Pye, 2015). How members of organization relate in each moment is very important, each thought generating actions that can sustain or not an effective organization (Gergen, Gergen & Barrett, 2004).…”