Organizational links and sensemaking in a medical work cooperative system

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article was to analyze how the presence of the elements that constitute organizational links are related to sensemaking in a cooperative system of medical work.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis was conducted following interviews with the managers of the cooperative, which is a member of the Brazilian cooperative system and one of the largest in the world. This analysis enabled the systematization of the categories that were identified through the coding of responses, aided by Atlas.ti 8.0 software.

Findings

After the analysis, it was possible to resize the constitutive elements identified in the specialized literature into three categories: identification, cooperation and recognition. The proposed resizing does not preclude the presence of the constitutive elements identified in the analysis, but it evidences the presence of these elements in a contextualized manner, suggesting a model of an organic organizational link that is dependent on the relationship between subject–object (organization), in which the different perceptions of meanings affect identification, and this can strengthen or weaken the link in a constant process of resignification.

Originality/value

With regard to its theoretical relevance, the work helps to bring concepts related to organizational links and sensemaking closer together as a process in the realm of intersubjectivity. This provides evidence of the presence of constituent elements of ties in a contextualized manner, demonstrating that the interpretation of managers aids sensemaking in a process of circularity and resignification.

Citation

Pellin, N.P., Weymer, A., Dissenha, L.A. and Bauer, M.A.L. (2021), "Organizational links and sensemaking in a medical work cooperative system", Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 388-408. https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-08-2020-2015