Sensing and organising : an interpretation of the thought of Karel E. Weick

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The focus in this thesis is on sensemaking in organisations and the aim was to offer aninterpretation of the thought of Karl E. Weick. The interpretation subsequently consistsof a description and discussion of concepts, underlying theories and paradigmaticperspectives that are integrated into and deployed in Weick's sensemaking framework.After a description and definition of sensemaking terms and concepts, it is argued thata process cosmology forms the ground theory in Weick's sensemaking framework. Inorder to elucidate this interpretation, the organic model of the world of Bergson andWhitehead is introduced. Special attention is given to pragmatism's underlying processontology and themes which social consructionism, symbolic interactionism andethnomethodology share in common with pragmatism. The aim is to show how theseperspectives and themes are taken up in Weick's sensemaking in organisations andorganisational theory.A failure to make sense is both consequential and existential. This aspect of Weick'sthought is discussed in the context of Bergson's process cosmology. It is followed by adescription and discussion of Weick's use of systems theory with special attentiongiven to Weick's concept of 'enactment' .How and why does an organisation becomes what it becomes? This question isaddressed in the context of a description and discussion of complexity theory. A coreconcept in both complexity theory and Weick's thought is self-organisation. The aim isto show how sense making appears on systems level.Finally, this thesis attempts to addresses the question of the relationship betweenorganisation and organising and how both terms is to be understood in terms ofWeick's ontological view of the world. This aim is to show that Weick'sunderstanding of the organisation (noun) can be conceived of as an abstraction andorganisation (verb - 'organising') in terms of relating and as process in becoming andhow he thereby gives social construction an ontological twist. The conclusion reachedis that, in the type of world Weick describes, it makes sense to make sense.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University