Drawing on the Map: An Exploration of Strategic Sensemaking/Giving Practices using Visual Representations

Lionel Garreau (1) , Philippe Mouricou , Amaury Grimand (2)

1 Management & Organisation
2 CEREGE [Poitiers] - Centre de recherche en gestion [EA 1722]

In this paper we explain how practitioners perform strategic sensemaking with visual representations. Here, we identify four modes of strategic sensemaking/giving: content generating, process-generating, process-ingraining and content-ingraining. While each ofthese modes supports strategic sensemaking/giving by focusing practitioners’ work on specific issues, they also divert practitioners from focusing on key aspects of strategy making. We conceptualize these limitations as ‘blind spots’. As a result, strategic sense making appears fragmented and can lead to breakdowns in sensemaking. However, the flexibility of visual representations facilitates strategic sensemaking by allowing practitioners to switch from one mode to another. These findings improve our understanding of the strategic sensemaking/giving practices that are associated with the use of visual representation.

Mots clés: Strategy; Practice; Materiality; shopping centre development

Domaines: Gestion et management

Lionel Garreau, Philippe Mouricou, Amaury Grimand. Drawing on the Map: An Exploration of Strategic Sensemaking/Giving Practices using Visual Representations. British Journal of Management, 2015, 26 (4), pp.689-712. ⟨10.1111/1467-8551.12099⟩. ⟨halshs-01224530⟩