Making Sense of Leaders’ Exits: Extending Exit Socialization Research through Sensemaking

Abstract

ABSTRACT Changes in leadership are common in organizations, bringing about change and uncertainty for remaining organizational members. Organizational exit research commonly examines exit experiences from the perspective of exiting organizational members. We utilize sensemaking theory to explore remaining organizational members’ experiences surrounding a leader’s exit, thereby contributing to and extending this body of literature. We collected narratives from 53 participants who experienced a leader’s exit using a qualitative online survey. Results of our thematic analysis identify two important sensemaking experiences: learning about the leader’s exit and using cues to anticipate the future. Our discussion includes theoretical implications for sensemaking theory, organizational socialization, and studying remaining member experiences as a part of the organizational exit process.