Decoupling between policy and practice through the lens of sensemaking and sensegiving

Abstract

Summary Any organizations, pursuing their goals, they should take into account others, as they are compelled to a joint coexistence. In order to grow, they need plans and rules of conduct. But not always what was intended is actually implemented. That discrepancy is called decoupling. This phenomenon may be due to different levels of acceptance and implementation of rules, which is associated with the process of sensemaking and sensegiving. The first phenomenon involves the creation of meaning, where the new rule is not yet fully developed and understood, and so it must be properly interpreted only to implement the action. In this process, people give meaning to their experiences. If the process of creating a sense is successful, occurring practices are accepted by the members of the organization, and finally implemented. Sensegiving is about exerting influence in terms of the proper understanding of the rules, in order to create an appropriate definition of organizational reality. Moral attitude of employees may be important in minimizing the effect of negative attitudes associated with decoupling. Therefore, there is a need for constant training of employees in ethical issues. The aim of the article is to present the potential significance of sensemaking and sensegiving for decoupling, and explain the role of increasing ethical awareness for neutralizing decoupling resulting from conscious actions of organizational actors.