On the way to Ithaka^[1]: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Publication of Karl E. Weick’sThe Social Psychology of Organizing

Abstract

Karl E. Weick's The Social Psychology of Organizing has been one of the most influential books in organization studies, providing the theoretical underpinnings of several research programs. Importantly, the book is widely credited with initiating the process turn in the field, leading to the 'gerundizing' of management and organization studies: the persistent effort to understand organizational phenomena as ongoing accomplishments. The emphasis of the book on organizing (rather than on organizations) and its links with sensemaking have made it the most influential treatise on organizational epistemology. In this introduction, we review Weick's magnum opus, underline and assess its key themes, and suggest ways in which several of them may be taken forward.

Case study on the effects of a disability inclusive mindset in a large biotechnology company

“…The company at the center of this study specifically organizes their work around the central mission of disability-inclusivity and overarching support and accommodations for all-a common mission through which, as was shared in interviews, employees make meaning of their work. As meaning-making is a human-driven process, this study illuminates how Weick's theory of organizational information can explain the practical implications of organizing a corporate culture around a common goal (Tsoukas et al, 2020). This approach recognizes PWDs as assets as companies provide them with the supports needed to be successful.…”

“…Weick's theory applies to this case in that the way the organization and its members make sense and meaning of their work through identifying with the organization's inclusive mission and commitment to diversity. Previous studies have applied Weick's theory to various aspects of organization and management (Tsoukas et al , 2020), including process research (Langley et al , 2013) and organizational cognition (Eden and Spender, 1998), among others. We extend findings from these and other previous studies to understand how sensemaking as a process furthers mission-based practices centered on diversity and inclusion.…”

Common Sense, New Sense or Non‐Sense? A Critical Discursive Perspective on Power in Collective Sensemaking

“…Overall, like Tsoukas et al (2020), we see special opportunities in studying forms of discursive sensemaking in today's technologically mediated modes of communication and mediatized society, which has brought about new channels, platforms, and practices for collective sensemaking. Such analysis can help to better understand, for instance, the role of sociomateriality and multimodality in new forms and modes of organisational discourse.…”

“…There is ‘no single agreed definition of “sensemaking”’ (Brown et al, 2014, p. 266) and the field is facing a struggle in defining what sensemaking is and what scholars of sensemaking should focus on (Tsoukas et al, 2020). Conventionally, the focus has been on the cognitive processes of meaning‐making embedded in group interaction (Weick, 1995, 2001).…”

“…Conventionally, the focus has been on the cognitive processes of meaning‐making embedded in group interaction (Weick, 1995, 2001). However, new developments within sensemaking research have highlighted the need to focus more attention on the social, cultural, and institutional embeddedness of sensemaking (Tsoukas et al, 2020). This stream of work has also included an effort to focus on the more mundane and taken for granted aspects of sensemaking (Holt and Cornelissen, 2014; Introna, 2019; Maitlis and Sonenshein, 2010; Patriotta, 2016; Sandberg and Tsoukas, 2015; Schildt et al, 2020).…”