Research foundations
Sensemaking for decisions with societal consequence
This practice is grounded in established research on sensemaking, legitimacy, and decision‑making in complex social systems.
The work draws on research traditions that examine how actors interpret uncertainty, how different forms of legitimacy shape what actions become possible, and how new understanding can emerge when existing approaches no longer hold.
Rather than applying predefined models or frameworks, the practice is informed by scholarship that treats complexity as lived and relational — shaped through interaction, interpretation, and time.
Key research streams informing the work
Sensemaking and sensebreaking
Research in this stream examines how meaning is constructed, disrupted, and re‑established when established interpretations no longer suffice. It focuses on how actors make sense of equivocal situations, particularly in moments of tension, crisis, or transition.
Legitimacy in institutional and societal contexts
This body of research explores how different actors justify action, authority, and knowledge. It highlights how conflicts over legitimacy — rather than lack of information — often underpin persistent disagreement and stalled decision‑making.
Integration and emergence in complex systems
Scholarship in this area examines how new configurations of understanding and action can emerge without requiring compromise or dominance. It focuses on conditions under which tensions can be held productively, allowing something new to take form.
Practice‑based and discursive approaches to strategy and decision‑making
These approaches treat strategy and decision‑making not as plans or tools, but as ongoing social practices shaped by interaction, language, and interpretation. They emphasize how meaning, action, and outcomes co‑evolve over time.
Get in touch
If you are navigating a situation where existing approaches no longer work, and where decisions carry consequences beyond the organisation itself, you are welcome to reach out.
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