Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation

Citation: D.A. Gioia, K. Chittipeddi (1991) Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal (RSS)
DOI (original publisher): 10.1002/smj.4250120604
Semantic Scholar (metadata): 10.1002/smj.4250120604
Sci-Hub (fulltext): 10.1002/smj.4250120604
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation
Wikidata (metadata): Q73305174
Tagged: Business (RSS)

Summary

This article serves as both a description of conducting ethnography to gain insight in organizational processes and contains its own empirical example. The authors suggest that strategic change leadership can be understood as a process which tacks between sensemaking and sensegiving on the part of a strategic leader. They identify a four-stage process of envisioning (a sensemaking action), then signaling (a sensegiving action), then re-visioning (a sense-making action) and energizing (a sensegiving action). The last two components repeat, re-visioning and energizing, sensemaking and sensegiving.

Theoretical and Practical Relevance

This study provides a concise explanation and example of ethnographic methods in the analysis of organizational processes.