Understanding PSM interventions through sense-making and the mangle of practice lens

Abstract

In this paper we seek to understand how individuals, as part of a group facilitated modelling setting, commit themselves to a set of actions, as a basis of sense-making, sense-giving and coordinated actions. For this we introduce Pickering’s Mangle of Practice to understand the practice of a group facilitated modelling setting. Using video data from a group modelling building exercise, we analyze how individual actors framed their circumstances in communication with one another and how through facilitated model building this affected their subsequent interpretation and decisions as the process unfolds. We show how, through the models as objects enhanced the interaction between verbal communication, expressed and felt emotion and material cues led to collective behavior within the group. With our study we extend prior research and elaborate on the role of objects and materiality as part of group decision making.