Making Sense of Sensemaking Theory

When transferring patient care responsibilities across the healthcare continuum, clinicians strive to communicate safely and effectively, but communication failures exist that threaten patient safety. Although researchers are making great strides in understanding and solving intraservice handoff problems, inter-service transition communication remains underexplored. Further, electronic health records (EHRs) figure prominently in healthcare delivery, but less is known about how EHRs contribute to inter-service handoffs. This descriptive, qualitative study uses Sensemaking Theory to explore EHR-facilitated, inter-service handoffs occurring between emergency medicine and internal/hospitalist medicine physicians. The researchers conducted six focus groups with 16 attending physicians and medical residents at a major Midwestern academic hospital. Findings suggest clinicians hold varied expectations for information content and relational communication/style. Their expectations contribute to making sense of uncertain handoff situations and communication best practices. Participants generally perceive EHRs as tools that, when used appropriately, can enhance handoffs and patient care continuity. Ideas for practical applications are offered based on study results.

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We Do Much More Than Norms Require’: Making Sense of Family-owned Healthcare Firms’ Profitability and Ethics

South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases ◽

10.1177/22779779211040163 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 227797792110401

Author(s):

Esa Hiltunen ◽

Riikka Holopainen ◽

Kang Li

Keyword(s):

Business Ethics ◽

Social Relations ◽

Family Firms ◽

Healthcare Sector ◽

Ethical Practices ◽

Sensemaking Theory ◽

Private Healthcare ◽

Making Sense ◽

New Thinking ◽

High Standards

To address the literature gap regarding the business ethics of family firms in the healthcare sector, this case study investigates profitability and business ethics from the perspective of a very successful Finnish private healthcare company. The study combines business ethics and sensemaking theories to provide a broad view of the company’s performance and stimulate new thinking about the relationship between ethics and profitability in private healthcare. Company’s profitability requirements seem to elicit disapproval from the public. This study examines how a private, family-owned healthcare company combines business ethics and profitability successfully in its operations and how this family-owned company has successfully constructed a plausible, trusted and ethical identity. The theoretical framework of this study is based on business ethics, profitability, trust and sensemaking theory. The study shows that the case company has worked tirelessly to maintain high ethical practices and standards in providing excellent care and enjoying high profitability. By achieving high standards of business ethics and maintaining good social relations with stakeholders, the company has developed a plausible and trustworthy identity, while continuously improving its operations. The case shows that the surrounding environment, in particular, places significant pressure on the case company’s daily activities and management. Even when customers (municipalities and residents) are very satisfied with the quality of care, this does not automatically lead to performance and profitability in the short term. Profitability as a value creation can also depend on personal relations and trust fostered between the company and its stakeholders. Thus, applying sensemaking theory, profitability means company’s ongoing sensemaking about the plausibility of its actions and reading cues within the environment now and for the future.

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Sensemaking, Knowing and Storytelling: Making Sense of the Public Internet Access Policy Debate at the Ottawa Public Library

Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS / Actes du congrès annuel de l'ACSI ◽

10.29173/cais320 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Mary Cavanagh

Keyword(s):

Public Library ◽

Internet Access ◽

Cultural Knowledge ◽

Policy Debate ◽

Public Controversy ◽

The Public ◽

Access Policy ◽

Sensemaking Theory ◽

Making Sense ◽

Community Newspaper

Using Weick's sensemaking theory within a KM framework, and storytelling methodology, this study deconstructs a recent public Internet access policy crisis at the Ottawa Public Library (Canada). As the Library's Manager of Virtual Library Services, the author retrospectively enacts the story of how the Library Board and management resolved a public controversy led by the staff and the community newspaper. At issue were the Library staff's right to be protected from viewing Internet pornography, the community's reaction to the issue of protecting children's Internet access, and the Library's commitment to intellectual freedom online. Plausible meanings are presented, the public library's identity and beliefs are reinterpreted, organizational vocabularies are challenged and tacit and cultural knowledge are created and shared.Narration d'entrevue, cette étude décompose une récente politique de crise sur l'accès public à Internet à la bibliothèque publique d'Ottawa (Canada). En tant que gestionnaire du service de bibliothèque numérique, l'auteur relate rétrospectivement comment le Comité de la bibliothèque et les gestionnaires ont solutionné une controverse publique menée par le personnel et la communauté journalistique. Cette controverse concernait le droit du personnel à être protégé contre la visualisation de pornographie sur Internet, la réaction de la communauté au sujet de la protection de l'accès des enfants à Internet, et l’engagement de la bibliothèque envers la liberté intellectuelle virtuelle. Des hypothèses plausibles sont présentées, l'identité et les croyances de la bibliothèque publique sont réinterprétées, les vocabulaires organisationnels sont remis en question et des connaissances tacites et culturelles sont créées et partagées.

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“They Are Nothing More Than His Spies on the Floor”: Local Employees’ Sensemaking and Interpretation of Expatriates’ Roles and Responsibilities

Management Communication Quarterly ◽

10.1177/08933189211029561 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089331892110295

Author(s):

Mizuki H. Wyant ◽

Michael W. Kramer

Keyword(s):

Multinational Corporations ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Socialization Process ◽

Automotive Manufacturing ◽

Roles And Responsibilities ◽

Sensemaking Theory ◽

Making Sense ◽

Manufacturing Company ◽

Sensemaking Process

This study examines how local employees gain information and make sense of new expatriates’ roles and responsibilities in multinational corporations by applying Weick’s sensemaking theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 17 local employees working for a Japan-based automotive manufacturing company in a Midwestern U.S. city. Results revealed that local employees extracted cues from their environment to make sense of expatriates’ roles and responsibilities by communicating directly with others, observing expatriates communicating with others, and applying knowledge from previous experiences with expatriates. In making sense of the information, local employees compared their expectations for expatriates with their experiences and interpreted expatriates’ roles and responsibilities negatively when there was a discrepancy between them. This study provides valuable insights into the sensemaking process of local employees as they adapt to expatriates as part of their ongoing socialization process.

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“We Are a Football Family”: Making Sense of Parents’ Decisions to Allow Their Children to Play Tackle Football

Communication & Sport ◽

10.1177/2167479518816104 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 26-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rebecca D. Boneau ◽

Brian K. Richardson ◽

Joseph McGlynn

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Married Couples ◽

Family Type ◽

Sensemaking Theory ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Making Sense ◽

The Family ◽

Tackle Football ◽

Family Identities ◽

Safety First

Parents of middle school–aged children face a true dilemma as they consider whether to allow their children to play tackle football. The sport is cited as one that fosters a number of intangible benefits but is increasingly mentioned as dangerous for youth participants. This study employed a sensemaking theory framework to explore the family, community, and media dynamics that influence how parents made sense of their football decisions. We interviewed 12 married couples about their decisions allowing their child to play middle school football. Results indicate parents were affected by family identities, community and social influences, and information sources in their football decisions. We developed a typology describing three parental approaches to the football decision: the football-first family, the safety-first family, and the laissez-faire family. We drew connections between family type, decision agency, and risk assessment for the pro-football decision. To conclude, we offer theoretical and practical implications related to this key parental decision.

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