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Author(s):
Gerardo Patriotta
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Hot Topic(s):
Topic(s):
Human Dimensions of Fire Management
Decisionmaking & Sensemaking

NRFSN number: 16264
Record updated:

In this study, Patriotta examines the ways in which an organization’s workers experience the “everyday routines, interaction, and events that constitute both individual and social practices”. He studies the narratives that are told within an organization, particularly during moments of disruptive occurrences. Examining these narratives helps explore the sensemaking tactics that organizational members use. Patriotta found that organizational members used detective narratives to investigate different occurrences on the shop floor and to give shape and structure to those events. Patriotta also found that the structure and identity of the team was based in the broader context of the overall organization and its principles. Through his research, Patriotta found that the organization was “brought to life” within the narratives rather than just being a presence in the life of the workers. This provides a different way of looking at the role of organizations and their implicit culture for workers.

Citation

Patriotta G. 2003. Sensemaking on the shop floor: narratives of knowledge in organizations. Journal of Management Studies 40 (2), p. 349-375.

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