Materiality Matters When Organizing for Crisis Management

Abstract

Sensemaking is the process to make sense of an unknown event. Research on the contribution of materiality in sensemaking is currently an area in need of further study. The Swedish system of crisis management puts the municipality in a key position when managing a crisis. Making the municipal situation room an interesting area for research. This study focuses on sensemaking in the municipal situation room during crisis management. The area of interest is when and why digital and/or non-digital resources are being used during sensemaking. The study contributes to an understanding of how sensemaking are performed in entanglement with the materiality provided. This is important for understanding needs of exercises and needs of resources in the situation room. The study was conducted as a qualitative study where interviews and observations were used to gather empirical evidence.