Title: Show it with feeling: performed emotions in critical sensemaking

Authors: Eeva Aromaa; Päivi Eriksson; Tero Montonen

Addresses: Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland ' Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland ' Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland

Abstract: This article draws attention to emotion in sensemaking within small entrepreneurial organisations. More specifically, it illustrates how performed emotion is related to enactment of a formative context, sensemaking and agency. The article also enriches the critical sensemaking heuristic by exploring a conversation between a leader and employees concerning adoption of a new online service. The analysis is based on videotaped data gathered from a two-year study of a franchise-based rental and real estate company. The contributions of the article are two-fold: 1) it argues that performed emotions are important because they may have an influence on the sensemaking of others and the possibility of exercising agency; 2) it demonstrates that videotaped material is a fertile source of data for studies on critical sensemaking in small entrepreneurial organisations.

Keywords: emotion; critical sensemaking; formative context; agency; franchising; entrepreneurship; innovation; leader; employee; online service; video.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2020.108256

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2020 Vol.24 No.4/5, pp.266 - 280

Received: 08 Sep 2018
Accepted: 04 Jun 2019
Published online: 07 Jul 2020 *

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