Sensemaking: the art of transforming organizations through meaning
Action plans, KPIs, organizational charts: these are the classic tools of change. They are reassuring… but they don’t explain why so many transformations fail.
Because individuals don’t act on the basis of abstract instructions — they act according to the meaning they give to situations.
This is what Karl Weick calls sensemaking: we don’t decide and then give meaning; we first make sense in order to act.
The strategic role of narratives
Narratives are the raw material of sensemaking. They weave facts, emotions, and values into coherent stories that make action possible.
- Dominant narratives (performance, meritocracy, autonomy, etc.) structure everyday behaviors. But when they drift away from lived experience, they become constraints.
- Alternative narratives, often born at the margins, are weak signals of possible futures. They reveal new ways of thinking and acting.
Ignoring these stories widens the gap between stated strategy and lived meaning. The result: mistrust, resistance, and disengagement.
Why integrate storytelling into change management?
- Aligning strategy and experience: a shared story connects global vision, operational reality, and human experience.
- Bringing coherence to uncertainty: in volatile environments, storytelling provides a guiding thread when plans fall apart.
- Creating buy-in: employees don’t commit to a KPI, but to a story in which they recognize themselves.
The example of an industrial company: rewriting history to move forward
A company launches a modernization plan.
- Official narrative: innovate to remain competitive.
- Employee narrative: “Our expertise is disappearing; we’re being replaced by machines.”
Result: mistrust, disengagement, blockages.
Management decides to act through narrative sensemaking by:
- Listening to stories from the field (story circles, real-life accounts).
- Reframing the strategic discourse: “transmit and transform our know-how.”
- Publicly highlighting employees as guardians of quality in the digital era.
Results: blockages are lifted, adoption of new tools accelerates, and collective pride is reborn around a common story.
Key takeaways
- Storytelling is the heart of sensemaking. Without stories, there is no shared meaning — and therefore no coordinated action.
- Resistance often stems from narrative conflict, not from rational disagreement.
- A successful transformation is a collective rewriting of the company’s story.
As Karl Weick reminds us: “How can I know what I think until I see what I say?” We discover our beliefs and intentions through the stories we tell.
To go further
- Weick, K. (1995). Sensemaking in Organizations. Sage.
- Gabriel, Y. (2000). Storytelling in Organizations. Oxford.
- Czarniawska, B. (1997). Narrating the Organization. University of Chicago Press.
