A longitudinal study of the social processes of organizational sensemaking suggests
that they unfold in four distinct forms: guided, fragmented, restricted, and minimal.
These forms result from the degree to which leaders and stakeholders engage in
“sensegiving”—attempts to influence others’ understandings of an issue. Each of the
four forms of organizational sensemaking is associated with a distinct set of process
characteristics that capture the dominant pattern of interaction. They also each result
in particular outcomes, specifically, the nature of the accounts and actions generated.