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Weick: The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: the mann gulch disaster

10 important questions on Weick: The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: the mann gulch disaster

What is the Mann Gulch disaster? (Weick)

A group of smoke jumpers was dropped in a forest to stop a fire from spreading around. At a certain point they became enclosed by the fire. The boss (Dodge) came up with a plan to save his crew. But no one followed his plan and several people died.

Why does Weick see 'Mann Gulch' as an organization? (3)

1. Series of interlocking routines: action patterns that bring the same people together around the same activities in time and place.
2. Organizational structure (Mintzberg): coordination by direct supervision, strategy planned at the top, little formalized behavior, organic structure and the person in charge tending to formulate plan intuitively.
3. Generic subjectivity: roles and rules exist that enable individuals to be interchange which little disruption to the ongoing pattern of interaction.

What is meant with role structure in this case? (Weick)

Major contributor to the disaster was the loss of structure that kept these people organized, their role system.
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What does Weick mean with the 'cosmology episode'?

Cosmology refers to a branch of philosophy often subsumed under metaphysics that combines rational speculation and scientific evidence to understand the universe as a totality of phenomena. It feels like the opposite of a deja vu: I've never been here before/have no idea where I am. This is how the smoke jumpers felt when they had little org. structure to start with. Without structure, they became anxious and found it harder to make sense of what was happening: in the end they couldn't escape the fire. The disaster was produced by the interrelated collapse of sensemaking and structure.

What does Weick mean with sensemaking in Mann Gulch?

That reality is an ongoing accomplishment that emerges frome fforts to create order and make retrospective sense of what occurs. Sensemaking emphasized that people try to make things rationally accountable. The smokejumpers rationaliez the image that they would surround the fire, they rationalized this until it was too late. And therefor less and less of what they saw made sense.

What are the 4 sources of resilience in Mann Gulch? (Weick)

1. Improvisation and bricolage (klussen)
2. virtual role systems
3. Attitude of wisdom
4. Respectful integration

Explain the first source of resilience: improvisation and bricolage: (Weick)

Bricoleur: someone able to create order out of whatever materials were at hand. If improvisation were given more attention in the job description, as substitute when one organizational order collapses might be invented immediately.
Bricoleurs remain creative under pressure, precisely because they routinely act in chaotic conditions, and pull order out of them.

Explain the second source of resilience: virtual role systems (Weick)

If each individual in the crew mentally takes all roles and therefore can then register escape routes and acknowledge command and facilitate coordination. then each person literally becomes a group. People can run the group and use their head for continued guidance of their own action.
Social construction should take palce in a person's head.

Explain the third source of resilience:the attitude of wisdom (Weick)

Extreme confidence and caution can destroy what organizations most need in changing times: curiosity, openness, and complex sensing. The overconfident shun (mijden) curiosity: because they know everything. The cautious and the confident are closed-minded: neither makes good judgements. Wisdom will improve adaptability.

Explain the fourth source of resilience:respectful integration (3) (Weick)

1. Respect the reports of other and be willing to base beliefs and actions on them (trust)
2. Report honestly so that others may use your observations in coming to valid beliefs (honesty)
3. Respect your own perceptions and beliefs and seek to integrate them with the reports of others without deprecating them or yourselves (self respect)

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