Teamwork Tuesdays: Karl Weick — Sensemaking

Karl Weick is an organizational psychologist best known for one powerful idea: sensemaking — how people make meaning when things are unclear, chaotic, or changing. 

Weick argued that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about helping people understand what’s happening and what to do next, especially when the path isn’t obvious. Weick showed that teams form culture by how they talk about what’s happening.

When leaders name situations clearly — “Here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t, here’s what we’re trying next” — they create a culture of clarity, trust, and learning.

When leaders avoid tough conversations or pretend certainty where there’s not, teams fill the gaps with fear, assumptions, or blame.

Culture follows the stories people tell themselves, and leaders help drive culture and performance by improving the stories being told about what is happening and helping people make sense of it all so they can move forward together.