ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author discusses plausibility as reflected in the rhetorical strategies and practices of organizations in the process of constructing their identities. Thus, a collective enactment of sensemaking hinges as much on the properties of retrospection and social engagement in this ongoing process as individuals draw on their prior experiences with communication, plausibility and trust. Gaden and Dumitrica point out that thinkers like Montesquieu and Rousseau were concerned with imagining a new form of engagement with the world, where authenticity becomes the basis for an ethic of leading a virtuous life. The way in which individuals and organizations come to privilege some narratives as plausible, and discard others, is an important part of the process. Karl Weick emphasizes that this is not a straightforward process, and that plausibility in collective sensemaking must relate to the concept of trust. People need to trust the reports of others and be willing to base their beliefs and actions on them.