Måluppfyllelse och meningsskapande : En kvalitativ studie av medarbetares meningsskapande för hållbar utveckling

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate sensemaking among employees within large service companies regarding sustainable development. To fulfill the purpose and address the research questions, the study has been conducted through six semi-structured interviews with employees from three major service companies. The collected data has been coded and thematically analyzed using a thematic analysis method, guided by the theoretical framework consisting of new institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983; Meyer & Rowan, 1977) and Karl Weick's (1995) sensemaking. The findings of the study indicate that the sensemaking process is a significant element in the interviewees' daily work towards achieving sustainability goals. Through an ongoing process of interpretation, employees create meaning for why and how they should work towards sustainable development. Furthermore, the results reveal that the primary motive behind organizing for sustainable development is a pursuit of a leading position within the organizational field and credibility within the institutional environment. The organizations and employees align with societal developments and attempt to adapt to prevailing institutional requirements and norms, which strongly influence their sensemaking. Societal developments and the institutional environment also have a strong impact on which dimension of sustainability is most prominent and dominant. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that employees' sensemaking plays a central role in the organizations' organizing for sustainable development. The sensemaking process is not an independent factor that solely contributes to organizing, but it is greatly influenced by the institutional environment surrounding the organizational field.