Sensemaking and Sensebreaking in Complexity
A discursive approach to the dynamics between business, government, and society
Keywords:
Business Government, Discourse, Future., Time, Business Government and Society, Sensemaking, Sensegiving, ComplexityAbstract
This doctoral thesis contributes to discourse and sensemaking literature by exploring discursive dynamics in complexity between business, government, and society. Exploring the discursive dynamics between these three actors in complexity provides a deeper understanding of how sensemaking, sensebreaking, and sensegiving occur and the dynamic aspects grounded in this process. The research uses a phenomenological approach and a social science approach. The study is abductive, and the method applied is grounded theory. It describes the phases and provides examples from 26 in-depth interviews with actors. The complex setting chosen as a case study was the extraction, mining, and mineral industry (EMMI). The people interviewed were international actors despite most of them being based in Finland.
Findings include an indicative model on sensemaking, sensebreaking, and sensegiving that can be applied in complexity. Further, it explains how the model can be used to understand better how different actors make sense of themes and subthemes in their context. This fits well with complexity, as patterns and solutions emerge as we move through time. Complexity does not hold only one best practice but multiple layers and pathways, so different aspects and entanglements occur. This, in turn, explains how the discursive dynamic between actors evolves and develops based on how the actors engage in a sensemaking process.
The research found that time poses issues in the sensemaking process, as the perception of time and fragments of the problems are intertwined and hard to place on a timeline. Further, the findings suggest that new senses cannot occur without sensebreaking. The research indicates that common ground can be found in discussing the terms for the future.
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