Contextualizing the Sensemaking Process - A Study of Disrupted Organizations

Abstract: This study aims to find out how the nature of disruptive events influences the sensemaking of organizational members. The general theory of sensemaking is complemented by the theory of cosmological episodes and its four stages in Weick (1993) which is used as the framework for this study. The study uses semi structured interviews to gather data, and an abductive approach. Three types of disruptive events are identified, general, industry-specific, and organizationspecific disruptions. Each interviewees’ organization is assigned each to a type. Variables and aspects influencing the sensemaking of the people within the organizations and types of disruptions have been identified. The findings are that there are differences in the sensemaking process across the types of disruptions and how the external environment influences that process. Using the four phases of cosmological episodes and the seven characteristics of sensemaking, it is shown how individuals make sense of disruptive events depending on the type of disruption affecting their organization. It is concluded that social construction plays a role beyond the organizational setting and how changes after a disruption affect individuals across the categories of the three types of disruptions. This study extends sensemaking literature by adding the three types of disruptions and therefore opens space for future research.