I artiklen “Making a Difference by Making Sense” beskriver MIT Leadership Center fem vigtige opgaver i relation til at skabe mening. De fem opgaver er:

1. Observe: “Sensemakers ask, ‘What’s the story?’ They pay close attention to their environment and look for hints of change. Because the world does not evolve in linear fashion, sensemakers look for strategic inflection points.”
2. Question: “… sensemakers ask for help. They are open about problems and gain perspective from outside advisors. Under pressure, people often fall back on their habitual ways of responding. But times of crisis frequently require innovative solutions. That’s why sensemakers must resist snap judgments. When they see similarities to a past situation, they need to step back and think about how the new situation may be different.”
3. Act: “Sensemakers use early observations to shape decisions. They look for new ways to lay out alternatives and a better way to understand choices. Then, they take action and see what happens. They are like explorers, dropping a pebble into a pond to gauge its depth.”
4. Reassess: “Sensemaking is grounded in an appreciation of what is. Therefore, every conclusion is open to question. Sensemakers realize that yesterday’s choices may not work today. A static model does not work in a dynamic world. Sensemakers have the courage to let go of prior assumptions. That’s why sensemakers never stop. The environment is always changing, so there is no final answer. Sensemakers continually review and update. Because experience informs action, sensemakers change their plans even as they roll them out.”
5. Communicate: “Sensemakers are storytellers, and to tell stories they must simplify. Sensemakers help others understand complex situations, enabling the others to act.”

Evnen til at skabe mening (sense making) er, som jeg i flere tidligere indlæg har beskrevet, en af de vigtigste lederegenskaber mod at sikre en effektiv eksekvering af strategi.

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