Navigating in a No Man’s Land: A Case Study on Middle Managers’ Sensemaking During Intense Media Coverage of a Large-Scale Organizational Change
(2025) BUSN49 20251Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how intensified public media attention influences the ways in which middle managers interpret and navigate in a large-scale change process. Our study aims to offer new insights into the implications of public news media coverage for individual sensemaking during a large-scale organizational change.
Methodology: This is a qualitative study situated within the interpretive research tradition. The research design is a case study of a single public healthcare organization in the Nordics, referred to as the Public Health Authority (PHA) (pseudonym). The primary data consists of empirical material from ten semi-structured interviews with middle managers at PHA.... (More) - Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how intensified public media attention influences the ways in which middle managers interpret and navigate in a large-scale change process. Our study aims to offer new insights into the implications of public news media coverage for individual sensemaking during a large-scale organizational change.
Methodology: This is a qualitative study situated within the interpretive research tradition. The research design is a case study of a single public healthcare organization in the Nordics, referred to as the Public Health Authority (PHA) (pseudonym). The primary data consists of empirical material from ten semi-structured interviews with middle managers at PHA. Secondary data includes internal documents shared by the managers.
Theoretical Perspective: We adopt a process approach to organizational change, focusing on the central concepts of sensemaking and sensegiving as emphasized by Weick (1995). Furthermore, we build on the ongoing cycle of sensemaking and sensegiving described by Gioia and Chittipeddi (1991). Additionally, our theoretical perspective incorporates Balogun’s (2003) insights into the interpretive role of middle managers in organizations.
Conclusion: This study reveals how media attention influences middle managers’ sensemaking during large-scale organizational change. It shows that media coverage influences sensemaking by triggering reputational concerns, defensive communication, and a reinforcing cycle of internal and external tension. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9198174
- author
- Kokalovic, Marijana LU and Malmberg, Victoria Ingrid LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN49 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Organizational Change, Sensemaking, Sensegiving, Public Media Attention, Middle Managers
- language
- English
- id
- 9198174
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-23 09:44:17
- date last changed
- 2025-06-23 09:44:17
@misc{9198174,
abstract = {{Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how intensified public media attention influences the ways in which middle managers interpret and navigate in a large-scale change process. Our study aims to offer new insights into the implications of public news media coverage for individual sensemaking during a large-scale organizational change.
Methodology: This is a qualitative study situated within the interpretive research tradition. The research design is a case study of a single public healthcare organization in the Nordics, referred to as the Public Health Authority (PHA) (pseudonym). The primary data consists of empirical material from ten semi-structured interviews with middle managers at PHA. Secondary data includes internal documents shared by the managers.
Theoretical Perspective: We adopt a process approach to organizational change, focusing on the central concepts of sensemaking and sensegiving as emphasized by Weick (1995). Furthermore, we build on the ongoing cycle of sensemaking and sensegiving described by Gioia and Chittipeddi (1991). Additionally, our theoretical perspective incorporates Balogun’s (2003) insights into the interpretive role of middle managers in organizations.
Conclusion: This study reveals how media attention influences middle managers’ sensemaking during large-scale organizational change. It shows that media coverage influences sensemaking by triggering reputational concerns, defensive communication, and a reinforcing cycle of internal and external tension.}},
author = {{Kokalovic, Marijana and Malmberg, Victoria Ingrid}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Navigating in a No Man’s Land: A Case Study on Middle Managers’ Sensemaking During Intense Media Coverage of a Large-Scale Organizational Change}},
year = {{2025}},
}