Abstract
AbstractThis paper explores how sensemaking theory offers a new perspective on HR's role during strategic change. As change in organisations today is less of a programme and more of a continuous cycle of business transformation, there has been a shift in focus to its underpinning, cognitive process of sensemaking. However, HR's role in developing sensemaking praxis in organisations is not widely researched to date. This paper addresses that gap. We draw on Eisenhardt and Sull's ‘simple rules’ whereby complex strategy praxis is reduced to a highly translatable, small number of key rules (2001). Through a diary study of middle managers engaging in strategic change, we investigate their real‐time, lived sensemaking praxis. We conclude that HR have a significant contribution to play in developing an organisation's sensemaking praxis through four Simple Rules of Sensemaking: (1) plan creative discourse opportunities, (2) ensure leader‐middle manager parity, (3) mutually direct sensemaking through ongoing re‐planning and re‐prioritisation, and (4) ensure leadership effort continues beyond the initiation of strategic change.
Highlights
Sensemaking theory defines strategic change as ‘an attempt to change current modes of cognition and action to enable the organisation to take advantage of important opportunities or to cope with consequential environmental threats’ (Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991, p. 433)
While never directly referred to as ‘sensemaking’, leaders discussed valuing the time taken for its practice and highlighted how middle managers are expected to engage in the process
Middle manager diaries frequently detailed how they are encouraged to invest time in sensemaking activities detailing how, though there are no immediate outputs, their leaders know that work on the strategic change activity has commenced
Summary
Sensemaking theory defines strategic change as ‘an attempt to change current modes of cognition and action to enable the organisation to take advantage of important opportunities or to cope with consequential environmental threats’ (Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991, p. 433). Sensemaking theory defines strategic change as ‘an attempt to change current modes of cognition and action to enable the organisation to take advantage of important opportunities or to cope with consequential environmental threats’ In presenting the roles of change champion and strategic business partner as one, Ulrich describes HR as helping the organisation adapt to the change, developing a range of processes and programmes to implement the change, and developing HR practices which increase the organisation's ability to change (Ulrich, 1996; Ulrich & Brockbank, 2005; Ulrich et al, 2012). HR are positioned as having the power to transform organisational capacity when they successfully address the context, content and implementation of strategic change (Alfes et al, 2010, 2019; Hailey et al, 2005; Long & Ismail, 2012)
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