Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2011
Abstract
Leading during in extremis situations when lives are in peril remains one of the least addressed areas of leadership research. In particular, although lives may depend on it, little is known about how leaders in in extremis situations make sense of their situation and communicate that sense to others. Because most of the literature on sensemaking and sensegiving in in extremis situations is theoretical, we sought empirical evidence of how it proceeds in actual practice. To address this gap in the literature, a qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with thirty U.S. Army leaders at West Point who had recently led teams in in extremis situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our data suggest simultaneity rather than sequentially of sense making and giving during in extremis situations and demonstrate the process proceeds best when leaders are in a heightened state of awareness. Training facilitates leader sensemaking by freeing up cognitive capacity, but sensegiving can originate from subordinates in certain circumstances. Our findings have implications for both theory and practice.
Keywords
sense making, sense giving, leadership, in extremis context
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Dixon, Deirdre, "Making Sense When It Matters Most: Leadership In Extremis" (2011). Student Scholarship. 294.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/294