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Inter‐organizational sensemaking in the face of strategic meta‐problems: Requisite variety and dynamics of participation

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  • David Seidl
  • Felix Werle

Abstract

Research Summary: When faced with complex strategic problems that exceed their individual sensemaking capacities, organizations often engage in inter‐organizational collaboration. This enables them to pool the participants’ different perspectives and to grasp the problem at hand more comprehensively. Drawing on data collected from two longitudinal case studies, we examine how those who participate in inter‐organizational sensemaking processes are selected and how the particular selection of participants affects the dynamics of the sensemaking process in turn. In our analysis, we show how the selection of specific problem issues influences who joins or withdraws from the collaboration and we identify a mechanism that accounts for changes in the particular dynamics of the sensemaking process over time. Our findings help explain how the process of inter‐organizational sensemaking can yield different outcomes. Managerial Summary: The ability to make sense of the business environment is central to strategic management. As the complexity of the environment increases and interpreting it becomes more difficult, organizations increasingly turn to inter‐organizational collaboration, which allows them to pool their expertise in order to explore strategic issues. We examine how the participants in projects of joint exploration are selected and how the selection of participants affects the process of exploration in turn. More specifically, we describe how the aspects on which collaborating organizations choose to focus influence who joins and who withdraws from a collaboration. We also identify a mechanism that accounts for differences and changes in the dynamics of the sensemaking process over time. These changes affect how the collaborators come to understand their organization's business environment.

Suggested Citation

  • David Seidl & Felix Werle, 2018. "Inter‐organizational sensemaking in the face of strategic meta‐problems: Requisite variety and dynamics of participation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 830-858, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:39:y:2018:i:3:p:830-858
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.2723
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    Cited by:

    1. Ciaran Heavey & Zeki Simsek & Christina Kyprianou & Marten Risius, 2020. "How do strategic leaders engage with social media? A theoretical framework for research and practice," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(8), pages 1490-1527, August.
    2. Susanne Fredholm & Maitri Dore & Sara Brorström, 2021. "Strategic Responses to Wicked Problems of Heritage Management: Experiences from the West Link Infrastructure Project in Gothenburg, Sweden," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Henry, Leona A. & Möllering, Guido, 2019. "Collective Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Trust as an Organizing PrincipleDate submitted: September 30, 2017Revised version accepted after double blind review: October 18, 2018," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 30(2-3), pages 173-191.
    4. Liubertė Irina, 2018. "Theorising Practice and Developing Practically Relevant Insights in Organisational Research," Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, Sciendo, vol. 79(1), pages 55-70, June.
    5. Joanna Radomska & Aleksandra Szpulak & Przemysław Wołczek, 2023. "A multi-item scale for open strategy measurement," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 50(1), pages 51-71, March.
    6. Fabrice Lumineau & Marvin Hanisch & Olivier Wurtz, 2021. "International Management as Management of Diversity: Reconceptualizing Distance as Diversity," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1644-1668, September.
    7. Bouncken, Ricarda B. & Ratzmann, Martin & Kraus, Sascha, 2021. "Anti-aging: How innovation is shaped by firm age and mutual knowledge creation in an alliance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 422-429.
    8. Jeoung Yul Lee & Shufeng (Simon) Xiao & Surender Munjal, 2023. "How business groups build globally relevant knowledge from local contexts? Exploring the double-edged sword effect of cultural diversity," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(5), pages 2189-2224, November.

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