Hazardous measures: an interpretive textual analysis of quantitative sensemaking during crises

Abstract

The current paper presents a computer-supported approach to the interpretive analysis of organizational texts and documents. Computer-supported interpretive textual analysis, as presented here, is a qualitative research approach which seeks to provide insights into members' meanings and interpretations. It uses four analytical processes: theoretical sampling, computer software supported text analysis, expansion analysis, and producing textual statistics. Interpretive textual analysis contrasts with quantitative content analysis methods which compose variables from qualitative data and use these variables to test existent theories using inferential statistics. The present paper uses computer supported textual analysis to investigate quantitative sensemaking during a public inquiry into a well blow-out involving hydrogen sulphide gas. I address three research questions relevant to crisis sensemaking. First, what quantitative practices and terms were used in sensemaking about the crisis, and how were these used? Second, how were quantitative practices relevant to the management of risks and hazards? And third, how did sensemaking vary among stakeholder groups, and what were the implications of the variations for organizational action? The results and findings from the computer-supported textual analysis show that quantitative practices and terms played an important role in inquiry sensemaking. The two theoretically meaningful groups involved in the incident used different vocabularies and logics for sensemaking. The government group used a ‘step logic’ to emphasize formal steps in the management of the hazard. This required the precise measurement of the hazards as a basis for initiating-rule governed actions to control the hazards. In contrast, the operator company used a logic of local safeguarding to interpret the hazards and measurements of the hazards. The paper concludes by discussing the general methodological and theoretical implications which interpretive textual analysis has for studies of sensemaking in organizational behavior research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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