Sense-making Theory Research Articles

Charting cognition: Mapping public understanding of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic of the last 2 years (and counting) disrupted commerce, travel, workplaces, habits, and—of course—health, the world over. This study aimed to capture snapshots of the perceptions and misperceptions of COVID-19 among 27 participants from three US municipalities. These perspectives are analyzed through thematic analyses and concept maps. Such snapshots, particularly as viewed through the lens of narrative sense-making theory, capture a sample of cognitions at this unique moment in history: a little over 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest that the (mis)perceptions captured are predominantly conveyed via narratives of participants’ personal experiences, and that the themes of attitudes toward precautionary measures, uncertainty, and the muddied science communication environment are prevalent. These themes suggest several salient targets for future research and current science communication, such as a focus on basic explainers, vaccinations’ safety and effectiveness and the necessity of uncertainty in the practice of science.

Professional Development Activities that Shape Teachers' Perspectives on the Curriculum Project in Lesotho

This paper stems from the notion that the redesigning of effective continuing professional development (CPD) should be informed by teachers' perspectives. CPD is described as the lifelong education of professionals on specialized knowledge, skills, attitudes and ethical and moral values after the initial registration and admission to the profession. This qualitative study used sense-making theory (SMT) and the Desimone framework for effective professional development to explore how CPD activities had shaped the teachers' perspectives on the Lesotho integrated curriculum innovation. Data were collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews and lesson observations, with four primary school teachers purposively selected from Leribe and Berea districts in Lesotho. Data were analysed using thematic and descriptive content analysis techniques. The findings of the study showed that the teachers' perspectives on the curriculum project that were shaped by CPD, were their beliefs on the use of learner-centred approaches, their perceptions on the use of integrated assessment approaches, their attitudes towards the usefulness of the integrated curriculum and their beliefs on whether teacher development influenced learner outcomes. The study recommends that CPD should be designed to have a greater influence on teachers.

Structural Model for the Antecedents and Consequences of Internal Crisis Communication (ICC) in Malaysia Oil and Gas High Risk Industry

A considerable amount of literature has concluded that employee relations has always been overlooked in the area of crisis communication. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the antecedents of internal crisis communication (ICC) that include safety culture, supportive environment, social media usage, management commitment and the consequences on the other hand comprising affective commitment, perceived organizational support, and employee crisis perception in the context of high risk industry in Malaysia. Past literature are used to develop a self-administered questionnaire and in-depth interview, was conducted for 277 employees of oil and gas industry while structural equation model (SEM) was employed as the tool of the analysis technique. The results show that safety culture, supportive environment, and management commitment have positive effects on internal crisis communication but with no effect on social media usage. Also, ICC is reported to correlate positively with affective commitment, perceived organizational support, and employee crisis perception. The model is developed on the basis of Situational Crisis Communication Theory and Sense-making Theory as the underpinning theories.

Assessing differences between university and federal laboratory postdoctoral scientists in technology transfer

While there are numerous studies of university technology transfer, there have been relatively few studies of technology transfer at federal labs. Moreover, studies of university technology transfer have focused on faculty, not post-doctoral scientists. They have also ignored identity and sensemaking theories in organizational behavior, which are relevant in the context of technology transfer. We fill these gaps by examining differences between university post-doctoral scientists and federal lab post-doctoral scientists, in terms of how they engage in technology transfer. Our qualitative analysis is based on extensive interviews of post-doctoral scientists and their supervisors/principal investigators (PIs) at two major research universities and four large federal labs. We find that federal lab scientists are more influenced by mission-driven research and their sense of public service, as compared to university scientists who are motivated more by curiosity-driven research. These motivational differences may constitute significant barriers to technology transfer in federal labs. As compared to their university counterparts, federal lab scientists appear to experience more cognitive dissonance in pursuing commercialization of their research and have more sophisticated resolution strategies for dealing with such dissonance. We also find that PIs at federal labs are not highly incentivized to engage in technology transfer. We discuss additional research needs, as well as the managerial and training implications of our findings.

U.S. Geographic Differences in Media Source Use During COVID-19 Shelter in Place Orders

United States news access patterns may have influenced distribution of misinformation in the COVID-19 infodemic, emphasizing the necessity of targeted communication to increase health literacy during a crisis. This study used sense-making theory to explore information-seeking behaviors of U.S. residents during COVID-19 shelter in place orders. This purpose of this study was to identify media outlets used by U.S. residents to access COVID-19 information and determine if access differed according to geographic region. A representative survey of U.S. residents aged 18 or older (N = 1,048) revealed the mainstream media outlets used most were domestic government-based sources. Northeastern and Western residents used all mainstream media outlets more frequently than Southern or Midwestern residents. Chi-square tests determined the regional news-access differences were significant, revealing inconsistencies in information-seeking behaviors. The findings suggest crisis communication plans that affect food and human health must consider regional information-seeking behaviors of U.S. residents to effectively reach target audiences with pertinent information.

‘Tuscans are different’: the cognitive dimension of local asylum policymaking during the 2015 European ‘refugee crisis’

ABSTRACT This article sheds light on the so-far-neglected role of decision-makers’ subjective interpretations and cognitive factors in local asylum policymaking, complementing and challenging the existing literature explaining local policy responses to the 2015 European ‘refugee crisis’. How and why do local decision-makers interpret the environment in which they operate? Do subjective interpretations contribute to influence local asylum policymaking, and how? To analyse these questions, the paper adopts an actor-centred approach grounded on framing and sensemaking theories and on Bevir and Rhodes’ concept of ‘situated agency’, and it develops a methodology based on anonymous interviews and social network analysis. Such an approach is applied to the heuristic case of Tuscany, an Italian region where the local asylum policies produced during the ‘crisis’ cannot be convincingly explained by looking merely at structural, institutional or strategic factors. Three arguments are developed here. First, at least in situations of ‘crisis’, local decision-makers are not mere passive recipients of information, but active interpreters and rationalizers, whose subjective interpretations result from framing processes and several judgement heuristics. Second, these interpretations can decisively influence local migration policymaking. Third, these interpretations can be also shaped by policy outputs, meaning that local asylum policymaking processes can have important constitutive effects.

Instructional Leadership in Inclusive Secondary Schools of Zimbabwe: Balancing Multiple and Competing Expectations

This article explores school heads' enactment of instructional leadership practices in inclusive secondary schools in Zimbabwe. It provides answers to the central question: How do school heads enact instructional leadership practices in inclusive secondary schools and how does sense-making by school heads explain instructional leadership practices in this instructional environment? The article forms part of a larger study on the challenges of and opportunities for instructional leadership in inclusive secondary schools of Zimbabwe. The study employed a qualitative multiple case study research approach and was informed by the enactive sense-making theory. The cases comprised three secondary school heads purposively sampled in line with the extent to which they embraced inclusivity in terms of serving differently abled learners. Data were collected using a combination of semi-structured interviews on instructional leadership thought and practices, non-participant observation and documents analysis. The data were analysed using the interactional narrative analysis approach and presented using the case-by-case method. The study revealed that participants understood instructional leadership in their schools in the morphed sense of the concept as a multidimensional and stakeholder-based social activity built on equity principles. However, the concept of

Seeing and inviting participation in autistic interactions.

What does it take to see how autistic people participate in social interactions? And what does it take to support and invite more participation? Western medicine and cognitive science tend to think of autism mainly in terms of social and communicative deficits. But research shows that autistic people can interact with a skill and sophistication that are hard to see when starting from a deficit idea. Research also shows that not only autistic people, but also their non-autistic interaction partners, can have difficulties interacting with each other. To do justice to these findings, we need a different approach to autistic interactions-one that helps everyone see, invite, and support better participation. I introduce such an approach, based on the enactive theory of participatory sense-making and supported by insights from indigenous epistemologies. This approach helps counteract the homogenizing tendencies of the "global mental health" movement, which attempts to erase rather than recognize difference, and often precludes respectful engagements. Based in the lived experiences of people in their socio-cultural-material and interactive contexts, I put forward an engaged-even engaging-epistemology for understanding how we interact across difference. From this perspective, we see participatory sense-making at work across the scientific, diagnostic, therapeutic, and everyday interactions of autistic and non-autistic people, and how everyone can invite and support more of it.

Pre-service Teachers’ Perspectives on their Preparation for Inclusive Teaching: Implications for an Organizational Change in Teacher Education

This single case study examined the perspectives of 12 pre-service teachers in one Ontario teacher education program towards their preparation for inclusive teaching using Sensemaking theory as a theoretical framework. Semi-structured interviews as well as document analysis for inclusive education policies were conducted. The findings showed that pre-service teachers perceive inclusion as a collaborative policy practice that requires the possession of a positive mindset, respect towards all learners, and the necessary resources. Moreover, the findings suggest the need for the examined program to critically review its curricular structure in terms of how course designs and requirements would further support future teachers’ knowledge and practices around inclusive teaching. In addition, completing the field-based experience component under the supervision of inclusion-oriented associate teachers and in K-12 classrooms that exemplify students’ diversity was found crucial.

Memorable Messages Embedded in Men’s Stories of Miscarriage: Extending Communicated Narrative Sense-Making and Memorable Message Theorizing

ABSTRACT Miscarriage occurs in roughly one in five pregnancies in the United States. Although it is largely considered a “women’s issue,” non-miscarrying spouses also endure the mental and relational health effects of the loss. Drawing on communicated narrative sense-making (CNSM) theory, we interviewed heterosexual, cisgender, mostly white, married men (n = 45) to solicit their stories of their spouse’s miscarriage. Six types of memorable messages (i.e., messages that affect the values, behaviors and/or beliefs of the receiver) from social network members emerged – have faith, brush it off, this (pain) is your fault, silence, I’m so sorry, and this happens a lot. These messages illuminate the importance of context in memorable message meaning-making; highlight the complexity of “message gaps” in narratively processing difficulty; and uncover ethical issues with attending to men’s experiences with miscarriage. We explore how these findings inform memorable messages theorizing and research.

Does construction service provider's response matter? Understanding the influence of anecdotal information on online consumer decisions

The home improvement service industry is growing rapidly, and the advancement in technology has made information about service providers, such as customer reviews, accessible with a few clicks. However, the impact of anecdotal information, like reviews and a service provider's response to a review, have not been studied extensively in the home improvement service industry. Using the Data Frame Theory of Sensemaking, this study investigated the combined effect of these two variables on an online consumer's decision. We recruited 360 participants through Qualtrics Research Services to participate in a 4∗3 between-subjects study. The findings suggest that when all reviews were either entirely positive or negative, i.e., consistent information, the service provider's response did not influence the customer's decision. However, when the reviews were inconsistent, the service provider's response was influential. In addition, negative reviews created a lack of trust in the information, which is a potential area for future research.

“The Year of the Cheerleader Lawsuits”: Paradoxical Sensemaking and Postfeminism in Reporting on Gender-Based Harassment

Abstract In 2014, former cheerleaders from five separate National Football League (NFL) teams in the United States sought legal reparations for wage theft and gender-based harassment. Within these claims, the women sought to bring to light the culture of fear, mistreatment, and silence that they experienced while working within the NFL. Using reports on these lawsuits as a case study, this study critically examines the sensemaking strategies rooted in postfeminist sensibilities and constructed through Whiteness. In particular, through identifying three paradoxes—victim/accomplice; normalization/sensationalism; objective/subjective—we offer a critique of mediated sensemaking that is organized in and around postfeminist discourses of choice, sexuality, and subjectification. Theoretically, we engage Weick’s theory of sensemaking, while offering new insights into the nuanced ways in which gender-based harassment is discussed.

Who would have thought: A forward-looking approach on sensemaking theory

In this paper, we add to our understanding of forward-looking strategy and explore how an organization makes sense of what to do when everything that was known no longer makes sense. We contribute to theory of future-oriented sensemaking as it relates to an organization’s reactions to an environmental jolt. We propose three unique potential reactions to environmental – stagnant, survivalist entrepreneurship, and transformational innovation, and how each influence the organization’s performance. Future research is discussed.

Impression Management and Group Member Performance: Examining the Role of Collective Altruism

There is debate in the literature regarding when impression management motivates affiliative behavior (i.e., helping others) and how well individuals perform organizational tasks when the driving motivation is to “look good.” Based on social exchange and sensemaking theories and research, and considering the increasing use of groups and teams in today’s workplaces, we propose that characteristics of the groups to which members belong enable them to make sense of, and interpret, their collective environment and subsequently determine how they should behave to look their best. Specifically, we identify collective altruism as an important group characteristic affecting how individuals’ positive (i.e., self-promotion, exemplification, ingratiation) and negative (i.e., supplication, intimidation) impression management tactics influence their willingness to help fellow group members. Findings from a sample of entrepreneurial networking groups illustrate that the relationship between positive impression management tactics and affiliative behavior was more strongly positive when collective altruism was higher, rather than lower; and, the relationship between negative impression management tactics and affiliative behavior was positive when collective altruism was higher, and not significant when it was lower. We discuss implications for both theory and practice.

Assessing differences between university and federal lab postdoc scientists in technology transfer

Although there are numerous studies of university technology transfer, there have been relatively few recent studies of technology transfer at federal labs. Studies of university technology transfer have also focused on faculty, not post-doctoral scientists and ignored identity and sensemaking theories in organizational behavior, which are relevant in the context of technology transfer. We fill these gaps by analyzing differences between university scientists and federal lab scientists, in terms of how they engage in technology transfer. Based on extensive interviews of postdoctoral scientists and their supervisors/principal investigators (PIs) at two major research universities and four large federal labs, we find that federal lab scientists are more influenced by mission-driven research and their sense of public service. These motivational differences may constitute significant barriers to technology transfer. Thus, federal lab scientists experience more cognitive dissonance in pursuing commercialization of their research and have more sophisticated resolution strategies than their university counterparts. Principal investigators at federal labs are also not highly incentivized to engage in technology transfer.

The challenge of skilled expatriates from the Indian subcontinent losing intellectual capital in Australia: resolving the crisis of habitus

PurposeThis article aims to examine the challenges faced by highly skilled expatriates (i.e. professionals and managers) from the Indian subcontinent (i.e. India and neighboring countries) as they attempt to advance their careers in Australia. Extant literature has revealed significant gaps between policies for skilled migration proposed by governments in developed countries and the response to policies by organizations in those countries. By employing the theories of habitus, disembedding, sensemaking and acculturation as frameworks for analysis, the authors explore and explain how these expatriates settle and integrate into their new lives and careers as they resolve their experience of habitus.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed phenomenology and narrative research techniques using 21 in-depth, semistructured interviews with expatriate professionals from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to explore and examine their expatriation experiences and their occupational progress in Australia.FindingsThe findings reveal that on migrating to Australia, expatriate professionals are uprooted from their home country habitus and thrust into new conditions that cause them to lose their cultural, economic, intellectual and social capital, which further leads them into a state of “disembeddedness.” These highly skilled expatriates then rely on sensemaking and acculturation to resolve their crisis of habitus. The authors also found that gender is a significant factor in this process, as female expatriates faced more career-related barriers compared to their male counterparts.Originality/valueThis article brings into focus previously unexamined avenues of expatriation research and proposes a novel theoretical framework that is instrumental in explaining the settlement and integration process of highly skilled professionals from emerging nations.

“Cleaning Out the Closet:” Communicated Narrative Sense-Making of Bereavement

ABSTRACT Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Theory was applied to 14 semi-structured interviews to explore stories of sorting through a deceased family member’s belongings/changing the home after death (“cleaning out the closet”). Family stories about “cleaning out the closet” yielded retrospective storytelling content themes regarding why changes were made/not made, how family members communicated when deciding to make any changes, and what changed or didn’t change as a result of “cleaning out the closet.” These results advance the claim that “cleaning out the closet” functions as a unique site where the instrumental task meets narrative communication openings for families, and that this task offers key opportunities for sense-making, socialization, and well-being during the turbulent period of bereavement.

What’s Your Excuse? Sensemaking About Chronic Absenteeism in a Rural, Latinx High School

Nationwide, over seven million students are chronically absent from school each year, impacting academic success and future job earnings. Latinx high school students have among the highest absentee rates across all racial groups. Using critical sensemaking theory, this qualitative case study examines how school, district, and community leaders make sense of chronic absenteeism in their diversifying local high school. This study is situated in Hensonville Secondary School (a pseudonym), a small, rural high school in Iowa serving a predominantly Latinx student body. Findings reveal that persistent deficit narratives placed upon Latinx and/or low-income students drive the perception of absentee students as “others” that do not fit the expectations of the educational leaders or of the broader community. Power and privilege in the district were evident as white educational leaders blamed Latinx students and those from low-income backgrounds for chronic absenteeism while minimizing the institutional and contextual factors that may be contributing to low student attendance. Collaborative partnerships are increasingly being used to address chronic absenteeism, and we also investigate these efforts in Hensonville. white educational leaders in diversifying rural communities, and the leadership preparation programs educating these future leaders, must rely on culturally relevant/responsive strategies in order to best support their students and reduce chronic absenteeism.

Navigating Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Support in Communicated Narrative Sense-making

ABSTRACT Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making theory (CNSM), this study explored how women who were pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 21) communicatively made sense of their experience in light of their received social support. Interview data were inductively analyzed for emergent themes and deductively analyzed for type of social support and narrative tone. Findings uncovered themes of a) connecting to mitigate stress, b) drawing on others’ knowledge, c) receiving socially distant instrumental support, and d) lacking medical professional support. Further, instances of informational, instrumental, and/or emotional support frequently occurred in stories with a positive narrative tone, whereas instances of insufficient support frequently appeared in stories with a negative tone. These results support previous research on the benefits and barriers of social support during pregnancy and extend theorizing about the implications of interpersonal interactions on CNSM. Practical applications are explored for medical professionals endeavoring to support pregnant women during a pandemic.

548-P: Understanding T2D Self-Management in Racial/Ethnic Minorities: Application of the Extended Parallel Processing Model and Sensemaking Theory

Behavioral health interventions are needed to address disparities among low-income racial/ethnic minorities with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to gain a better understanding of the role of disease threat perception and self-efficacy using the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) as a guide in T2D self-management among Black and Hispanic patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with minority T2D patients who receive care in endocrinology, internal or family medicine practices in an urban safety-net hospital. Participants were placed in one of 4 EPPM groups based on validated questionnaires: High or low disease threat and high or low self-efficacy. The interviews were transcribed then analyzed using both inductive and deductive coding based on Sensemaking Theory. From this ongoing study, the current analysis includes 11 interviews. The cohort had a median age of 52 years, was 55% female, 82% were black and 18% were Hispanic. Participants in the high threat groups indicated disease threat fluctuated throughout their diabetes history and that certain triggers (e.g., diabetic complications) drove changes in disease view. Participants with high threat/high efficacy (n=4) expressed acceptance of T2D and reported adequate social support, whereas those with high threat/low efficacy (n=2) expressed anger or denial about T2D. Participants with low threat/high efficacy (n=2) reported poor social support, while those with low threat/low efficacy (n=3) had heightened positive and negative emotional responses. Both low efficacy groups reported less problem-solving skills than the high efficacy groups. Perceived health threat and low self-efficacy may impede T2D self-care, presenting barriers to achieving good diabetes control. A greater focus on the role of diabetes threat perception and self-efficacy is needed to improve T2D care among low-income minority patients. Disclosure D. J. Rubin: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca. D. A. Swavely: None. J. Brajuha: None. P. J. Kelly: None. S. Allen: None. A. Hoadley: None. A. Iwamaye: None. Y. Zisman-ilani: None. S. B. Bass: None.