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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The ethical narrative in the sensemaking process : a case study of three hospital teams

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description

This thesis deals with the construction of meaning in the workplace, favoring the continuation, or the resumption, of the ongoing activity within organizations (Weick, 1969-2009). More specifically, it seeks to link the perspective of sensemaking to ethics. It is mainly based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with three hospital teams. After discussing the near-absence of analyses of the ethical dimension of sensemaking (Maitlis and Christianson, 2014), we focused on ethical philosophies in order to account for the organizational behaviors described during the interviews and to conceptualize the empirical data. On the theoretical level, the main contribution of this thesis is to embody Sensemaking demonstraing the ethical dimension of this process at each of its key stages: situations involving ethical issues, interrupting or hindering action; mobilization of ethical resources (selection of stories related to vulnerability, mobilization of ethical competencies, production of an ethical narrative), in order to reconstruct meaning. Second, it takes into account the less developed aspects in sensemaking’s research: the role of emotions, structuring of social space, the role of actors involved individuals in sensegiving (creating and assignment of meaning). On the managerial level, this dissertation encourages leaders to promote Sensemaking in general, and the ethical narration in this process; in particular, in order to prevent and manage crises. It invites them to use the reflective capacity of involved individuals and to encourage an ethical climate.