Abstract
In the aftermath of global events, scholars have called for theorizing sensemaking of complex and dynamic events such as socio-ecological systems. With expanding access to technological tools, we increasingly gain multimodal information from events near and far. However, sensemaking literature has often focused on the situational perspective, which repeatedly leads to focusing on the agent and overseeing different environmental aspects. This has led sensemaking studies to ignore wider phenomena, such as socio-ecological systems or grand challenges. This conceptual paper explores and theorizes the sensemaking process related to systemic events with the help of concepts such as scaling. Inspired by Nicolini’s zooming in and out method, this paper theorizes sensemaking by abandoning a dichotomy between the immediate situation and the broader context. By abandoning the dichotomy, we can explore interconnected levels that can be influenced by frames and technological tools in sensemaking. The theorization provides new avenues for explaining how systemic events connect to organizations.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Organizations as Knowledge Makers
KEYWORDS
Sensemaking, Scale, Systems, Decentered
