Leadership and Organizing

Sensemaking in Action

Bibliographic Data

ID12883244
AuthorsAnnie Pye (0000-0002-4152-4260, University of Bath, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume1
Issue1
Pages31-49
Publication date2005-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLeadership (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1742-7150 • E-ISSN: 1742-7169
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1742715005049349
OpenAlexW2163012602
LanguageEN
Citations received59
References cited15

This article aims to challenge some of the assumptions which we make in our understanding of leadership, through empirical illustration from a large organization where a chief executive endeavours to ‘lead’ global change. The continuing search for the Holy Grail, which seems to characterize interest in leadership, implies that research efforts are perhaps being directed at ‘solving the wrong problem’. Leadership as a form of social influence is hard to distinguish from many other influences in relationships between people yet, it is argued, its emphasis on moving towards future action encourages a conception not dissimilar to organizing. The case analysis developed in this article goes on to reframe leadership as an example of sensemaking. It concludes that while sensemaking will never replace leadership as a focus or topic of interest, to understand leadership as a sensemaking process helps illustrate more clearly what happens in the daily doing of leading

Action (physics · Cognitive reframing · Epistemology · Holy Grail · Leadership development · Leadership studies · Leadership style · Neuroleadership · Political science · Process (computing · Public relations · Sensemaking · Shared leadership · Sociology · Transactional leadership · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Management and Organizational Studies · Organizational Learning and Leadership · Psychology · Social Psychology