The Sensemaking Ecosystem: understanding everyday sensemaking in organisational change

Abstract

Karl Weick’s sensemaking perspective, has been seminal in management and organisation studies for decades, generating much scholarly discussion. Despite its extensive application in sensemaking studies, gaps remain in the application of the sensemaking concept. This research addresses two of those gaps: first, the absence of studies that apply all seven of the sensemaking properties as defined by Weick; and second, the predominant focus on high-profile critical incidents, which has led to a neglect of how sensemaking unfolds in the routine, day-to-day experiences of organisational life. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, qualitative interviews were employed to assess the continued relevance of Weick’s framework and investigate the underexplored role of emotion in the sensemaking process. The findings offer a theoretical contribution to management and organisation studies through the sensemaking ecosystem, where Weick’s seven properties, together with the added dimensions of communication, emotion, and context, function as interdependent elements to explain how sensemaking works in routine working lives. The influence of each element shifts dynamically in response to the unique circumstances shaping individual and collective sensemaking. By offering a new conceptual model for understanding sensemaking, this study provides a foundation for future research and contributes a new resource for the praxis of leading and managing organisational change.

Date of Award	25 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Nancy Harding (Supervisor) & Ian Colville (Supervisor)