SENSEMAKING PROCESS IN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Authors

  • Mhd. Harvinsyah Rozi Harahap
  • Hasnun Jauhari Ritonga
  • Ahmad Sujai Tanjung

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30829/jai.v15i1.28621

Keywords:

sensemaking, community-based organizations, digital media

Abstract

The development of digital ecosystems and increasing community participation in community-based organizations have given rise to communication complexities that have the potential to create ambiguity of meaning. In this context, the sensemaking process is crucial for understanding how organizational members construct shared understanding and guide collective action. This study aims to analyze the sensemaking process in organizational communication within community-based organizations in the digital era. The study employed a qualitative approach with an interpretive case study design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 key informants, four months of participant observation, and analysis of internal communication documents and the organization's social media. The analysis was conducted thematically, referring to the stages of enactment, selection, and retention in sensemaking theory. The results indicate that information ambiguity, particularly that originating from digital communication, is a key trigger for the collective meaning-making process. Sensemaking occurs cyclically, influenced by community value framing, relational dynamics, and the mediation of communication technology. These findings expand the application of sensemaking theory by emphasizing the relational and digital dimensions within community-based organizations. Practically, this study emphasizes the importance of digital communication literacy and dialogic leadership in maintaining organizational cohesion and accountability. Future research is recommended to develop comparative and longitudinal studies to deepen understanding of the dynamics of sensemaking across communities.

References

Alvesson, M., & Kärreman, D. (2000). Varieties of discourse: On the study of organizations through discourse analysis. Human Relations, 53(9), 1125–1149.

Araque, J., Roldán, J. L., & Salguero, A. (2025). Volunteer engagement and organizational sustainability in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 35(1), 45–63.

Cornelissen, J. P. (2012). Sensemaking under pressure: The influence of professional roles and social accountability. Human Relations, 65(7), 953–975.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Daft, R. L., & Weick, K. E. (1984). Toward a model of organizations as interpretation systems. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 284–295.

Fairhurst, G. T., & Grant, D. (2010). The social construction of leadership: A sailing guide. Management Communication Quarterly, 24(2), 171–210.

Gioia, D. A., & Chittipeddi, K. (1991). Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), 433–448.

Guest, G., Namey, E., & Mitchell, M. (2013). Collecting qualitative data: A field manual for applied research. SAGE Publications.

Hidayat, D., & Rahardjo, T. (2020). Komunikasi organisasi dalam komunitas digital di Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 18(2), 145–160.

Holt, R., & Cornelissen, J. (2014). Sensemaking revisited. Management Learning, 45(5), 525–539.

Johansson, C., & Heide, M. (2008). Speaking of change: Three communication approaches in studies of organizational change. Corporate Communications, 13(3), 288–305.

Kramer, M. W. (2010). Organizational socialization: Joining and leaving organizations. Polity Press.

Leonardi, P. M. (2014). Social media, knowledge sharing, and innovation: Toward a theory of communication visibility. Information Systems Research, 25(4), 796–816.

Leonardi, P. M., Huysman, M., & Steinfield, C. (2013). Enterprise social media: Definition, history, and prospects. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(1), 1–19.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.

Maitlis, S., & Christianson, M. (2014). Sensemaking in organizations: Taking stock and moving forward. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 57–125.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Prasetyo, A., & Setiawan, B. (2021). Dinamika komunikasi relawan dalam organisasi sosial berbasis komunitas. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 6(1), 45–58.

Putnam, L. L., & Nicotera, A. M. (2009). Building theories of organization: The constitutive role of communication. Routledge.

Sandberg, J., & Tsoukas, H. (2015). Making sense of the sensemaking perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S6–S13.

Sari, N., & Wijayanto, X. (2022). Media sosial dan pembentukan makna kolektif dalam komunitas daring. Jurnal ASPIKOM, 7(2), 210–225.

Stohl, C., & Cheney, G. (2001). Participatory processes in organizations. Communication Theory, 11(3), 349–371.

Taylor, J. R., & Van Every, E. J. (2000). The emergent organization: Communication as its site and surface. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Utami, R., & Nugroho, Y. (2019). Digital activism and community engagement in Indonesia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 35(4), 312–329.

Van Dijk, T. A. (2011). Discourse and communication: New approaches to the analysis of mass media discourse. Communication & Society, 24(1), 25–45.

Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. SAGE Publications.

Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M., & Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4), 409–421.

Wibowo, A., & Kurniawan, L. (2023). Sensemaking dalam organisasi nonprofit di era media digital. Jurnal Studi Komunikasi, 7(3), 455–472.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Yusuf, M., & Amalia, R. (2021). Kepemimpinan simbolik dalam organisasi berbasis komunitas. Jurnal Manajemen Komunikasi, 6(2), 89–104.

Downloads

Published

2026-02-12

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): ANALYTICA ISLAMICA

Section

Articles

License

COPYRIGHT

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access

LICENSE

journal Analytica Islamica is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.