Elite sense-making in the core executive: the case of Denmark’s 2020 Minkgate Scandal

Abstract

Abstract This article analyzes the Danish Mink Scandal of 2020 using Karl Weick’s sense-making theory. It zooms in on the 72-hour decision-making process that led to the culling of Denmark’s entire 17 million farmed-for-fur mink population in response to the perceived threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forming a new mutation. Since there was insufficient legal justification for the culling, the prime minister was forced to call a snap general election, leading to a change of government. We exploit detailed data material containing text messages, e-mail correspondence, documentary material, and specific inquiries. The article demonstrates the strength of Weick’s social–psychological perspective on sense-making for public management research. It shows how time pressure can cut across heavily institutionalized standard operating procedures. It can increase the centralization of the decision-making power at the apex and decouple the formal legal responsibilities, which remain institutionalized with the line ministries. The study argues that sense-making offers learning points that cannot be obtained from formal legal perspectives, which are used to assign responsibilities. Indeed, ex-post thinking may be too convenient—traditional solutions like punishing leaders or agencies may obscure the discovery of more systemic vulnerabilities when crises unfold.