Sensemaking and Social Accounts of Middle Managers

Literature on sensemaking has largely focused on the content and patterning of interpretative schemata. We identify the mechanisms which determine how schemata are newly formed. Our longitudinal real-time analysis of a complex change provides an explanation of the evolution of this phenomenon. Using social accounts as a cognitive tool for schemata change, we focus on the interaction between middle managers and other members, during the process of moving from one large hospital facility to another. We elucidate how group consensus and the alignment of a social account with existing schemata, mediates sensemaking. Our findings expand theory regarding the processes and mechanisms through which middle managers incorporate or reject new information into their existing schemata. We also show the extent to which the resulting sensemaking contributes to organizational outcomes.