Managing an Environmental Jolt- A Case Study of How a Swedish SME Made Sense of a Sudden Increase in Demand from the Global Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In today’s society organisations frequently have to cope with and respond to unexpected events. This study aims to investigate how a sudden increase in demand from an environmental jolt, in this case, the global Covid-19 pandemic, was managed by a Swedish small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). To investigate this, the study examines how the organisational members made sense of and acted upon this event, through the lens of the sensemaking perspective. The study is based on a case study in which 25 qualitative interviews with organisational members from different hierarchical levels were conducted. The study shows that central for managing a sudden increase in demand from a jolt is the ability to; update previous sensemaking, provide meaning by drawing on cultural values and engaging in bricolage. The overall conclusion is that the sudden increase in demand was not an opportunity or challenge per se, rather as a result of how it was made sense of and acted upon, it was turned into an opportunity. The study contributes by illustrating how organisational responses to these types of jolts can be understood. The study also responds to the call for more research about when and how updating of sensemaking is achieved in practice. As a secondary contribution, the study provides insights about rapid growth during a shorter period than is traditionally investigated.