Let Them All Discuss: Realizing Organizational Moral Agency through Collective Sensemaking

Abstract

This paper explores how the moral agency is realized in organizations through collective sensemaking of the lived experiences of the organizational actors and organization virtues. In this ethnographic study, we use the strategy-as-practice perspective to examine the micro-social activities undertaken by doctors, nurses, hospital administrative staff, and frontline workers (community counselors) during a bi-weekly maternal healthcare review meeting at a community service hospital. These meetings are a salient platform facilitating interaction between the clinical and social actors delivering neonatal and antenatal care to a tribal community with high incidents of sickle-cell anemia. By illustrating the examination of an incident across two meetings, our findings demonstrate the subtle and intricate nature of interaction a) amongst the actors belonging to different professions and b) between the actors and the organization through the spiritual readings discussed at the beginning of every meeting. It is noted that collective sensemaking of the actors’ experiences, their professional expertise, and the guiding philosophy of the organization symbiotically interact towards shaping the moral agency of the organization. We identify four inter-related collective sensemaking practices by these actors which are central to the process of realizing organizational moral agency. The practices a) exchanging information and b) experiencing liminality are mediated by c) engaging in organizational identification by reflecting on the foundational values and these linearly drive towards the fourth practice i.e. d) taking responsible actions towards the community. Implications of the study are discussed.