FOCUS: A Model of Sensemaking

Sensemaking is a relatively new concept that has largely been associated with Weick 1995 and his work in organizational behavior. Sensemaking refers to the set of processes involved in trying to improve ones understanding of a situation, often in response to surprise. The primary purpose of the current project was to unpack and develop the concept of sensemaking, principally by developing and testing a cognitive model of the processes involved. The resulting DataFrame model posits a highly interactive relationship between data inputs and mental representations or frames for interpreting data. The DataFrame model also proposes six key sensemaking activities for handling frames in light of anomalous data Elaborating, Questioning, Comparing, Preserving, Reframing, and Seeking. A secondary aim was to provide recommendations for training and other applications of the model that would be of direct benefit to the warfighter. To that end, several specific links to applied issues in domains such as information operations, intelligence analysis and combat systems design for UAV control have been developed and pursued. At this juncture, the concept of sensemaking and the DataFrame model appear to be supported by the data, and also quite useful for military applications.