Sensemaking


What is Sensemaking

Sensemaking is the process by which people give meaning to their experiences and make sense of complex or ambiguous situations. It is a fundamental cognitive and social activity that helps individuals and organizations understand, interpret, and act in their environments.

Approaches to Sensemaking

  • Karl Weick‘s Sensemaking in Organizations: Karl E. Weick is considered a pioneer in organizational sensemaking theory. His seminal book “Sensemaking in Organizations” (1995) is a key reference. Weick identified seven properties of sensemaking and focused on sensemaking as a collective process in organizations.
  • Brenda Dervin‘s Sense-Making Methodology: Brenda Dervin developed the Sense-Making Methodology, which is one of the distinct approaches to sensemaking.
  • David Snowden‘s Cynefin Framework: David Snowden’s work on Naturalised Sense-making and the Cynefin Framework is another major school of thought in sensemaking.
  • Gary Klein‘s Data-Frame Theory: Gary Klein developed the “Data-Frame Theory” of sensemaking, which is considered one of the main approaches.

see also:

Scroll to Top