Organizational Sensemaking in a Culturally Diverse Setting

Abstract

Developments encompassed under the discourse of globalization include the growing literature of both cross-cultural management and the management of diversity. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of organizing processes in a cross-cultural context through a narrative account of the sensemaking of members of a multinational MBA programme. While generally espousing the discourse of `valuing diversity', participants experienced its enactment as more problematic. Outcomes of interaction among members included not only effective group working and the establishing of friendships, but also group fragmentation and the breakdown of friendships. Successful outcomes are understood as the product of shared experience leading to greater interpersonal understanding. It is argued that the emphasis on cultural difference which pervades the valuing diversity discourse was not particularly helpful to participants' sensemaking and that the language of cultural diversity needs to be developed beyond the limitations of this discourse.

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