These steps—avoidance, competition, compliance—feel like a progression from denial to struggle to resolution. Avoidance is the head-in-the-sand phase, competition is the chaotic fight for clarity, and compliance is the “good enough” landing spot. It’s not linear for everyone—some skip avoidance, others loop back—but it captures how we wrestle meaning out of confusion.
1. Avoidance: Tuning Out the Noise
What It Is: Avoidance is the first step where someone sidesteps or ignores information, events, or emotions that don’t fit their current understanding or comfort zone. It’s a way to delay grappling with complexity or conflict—like putting off a tough decision because it’s overwhelming.
How It Works: Imagine you’re in a chaotic workplace. Rumors swirl about layoffs, but instead of digging in, you avoid the chatter, skip meetings, or dismiss it as “not my problem.” You’re dodging the data to preserve your mental status quo.
Why It Happens: This can stem from fear, uncertainty, or just not having the tools to process what’s happening. Psychologically, it’s linked to cognitive dissonance—when reality clashes with beliefs, avoidance keeps the peace (for now). In Weick’s sensemaking, this might be pre-“noticing”—you’re not even engaging yet.
Outcome: It buys time but stalls understanding. You’re not making sense yet; you’re just surviving the ambiguity.
2. Competition: Wrestling With Meaning
What It Is: Competition kicks in when avoidance isn’t an option anymore—you’re forced to confront the situation and start battling over what it means. It’s a clash of interpretations, either within yourself or with others, as you try to impose order on the mess.
How It Works: Back to that workplace. Now you’re hearing conflicting takes: “The layoffs are real!” vs. “It’s just a scare tactic!” You argue with colleagues, weigh evidence, or even debate internally about what’s true. It’s a tug-of-war—your version of reality vs. theirs (or vs. the facts).
Why It Happens: This is where sensemaking gets social. People compete to define the narrative because meaning shapes power, action, and identity. Studies on organizational sensemaking—like in crisis management—show groups often splinter here, pushing rival explanations until one wins out. It’s messy, emotional, and active.
Outcome: You start shaping a story, but it’s not settled. Competition narrows the field—some ideas lose, others gain traction—and sets the stage for the next step.
3. Compliance: Settling Into a Narrative
What It Is: Compliance is when you (or the group) land on an interpretation and align with it, whether by choice, exhaustion, or pressure. It’s not always about agreeing—it’s about accepting a version of reality enough to move forward.
How It Works: The layoff rumors get confirmed by an email from the boss. You might not like it, but you comply with the narrative: “Okay, this is happening, time to update my resume.” Or maybe the group settles on “It’s not a big deal,” and you go along to keep the peace, even if you’re skeptical.
Why It Happens: This ties to social conformity (think Asch’s experiments) or just pragmatic need—endless competition wastes energy, so we pick a lane. In sensemaking terms, it’s the “acting” phase: you’ve made enough sense to do something, even if it’s grudging. It’s less about truth and more about functionality.
Outcome: Sense is made—for now. You’ve got a working story to navigate by, though it might shift later if new info pops up.
Do read the Disclaimer