Making sense of unexpected events: insights from information system consultancy companies

The contemporary economic market is full of unexpected events that significantly impact information system (IS). These events present both threats and opportunities, emphasizing the need to be prepared to confront them. The objective of this study is to expand the existing research by exploring how IS consultancy companies make sense of these unexpected events, as this process plays a crucial role in their decision-making process. Our focus extends from internal organizational challenges to making decisions and delivering services to customers, with the goal of minimizing losses and capitalizing on the circumstances. To accomplish this goal, we conducted interviews with different experts. Our population included experts from various IS consultancy specialties such as aerospace, transportation, supply chain management, e-commerce, insurance, and telecommunication. We identified several major areas highlighted by experts, interpreting them from a sensemaking perspective. The "ongoing" property emerged as the most frequently utilized, the "social" property being the least employed, while the "historical cues" property was completely absent in our case. These insights offer a deeper understanding of the sensemaking efforts employed by IS consultancy companies to navigate disruptions.