Distributed sensemaking: A case study of military analysis

Sensemaking frequently involves the use of representations ‘in the world’ embodied within representational artefacts. However, theories of sensemaking tend not to engage with this issue in depth. Such an understanding, we propose, is important for supporting artefact design. This article develops a perspective on distributed sensemaking by taking as the unit of analysis an assembly of people and/or artefacts, potentially distributed physically, socially and over time rather than the mind of an individual sensemaker. Through an observational study of military analysts we explore how a sensemaking task can be understood in terms of the distribution of task-relevant representations across internal and external representations. We conclude that in sensemaking, as with many cognitive activities, the design and interactional properties of external representational media has a profound effect on the properties of the combined distributed sensemaking system.