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Chapter 19 - Sensemaking in Strategy as Practice: From a Phenomenon towards a Theory?

from Part III - Theoretical Resources: Organization and Management Theories

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2025

By
Henri Schildt  and
Joep Cornelissen
Edited by
Damon Golsorkhi ,
Linda Rouleau ,
David Seidl  and
Eero Vaara
Damon Golsorkhi
Affiliation:
emlyon Business School
Linda Rouleau
Affiliation:
HEC Montréal
David Seidl
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
Eero Vaara
Affiliation:
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
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Summary

Joep Cornelissen and Henri Schildt discuss the sensemaking perspective and its potential for strategy as practice. Their review of past strategy as practice research suggests that sensemaking is largely used in a perfunctory manner in strategy as practice research. They argue that sensemaking provides a rich smorgasbord of theoretical constructs and models that is useful for strategy as practice research. However, they also maintain that moving beyond the application of sensemaking as an umbrella construct would provide important opportunities for more specific contributions. They discuss specific opportunities related to temporality, materiality and sensegiving in strategy as practice research and the role that the sensemaking lens might play in exploring these topics.

Keywords

strategy as practicepractice approachsensemakingsensegiving
Type
Chapter
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Cambridge Handbook of Strategy as Practice , pp. 346 - 366
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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