Augmenting Team Sensemaking
John T. Nosek
Temple University
SenseMaking Technologies Corporation
©2001
SenseMaking Technologies Corporation
HELPING YOU CREATE A BETTER FUTURE TM
Group Sensemaking
ENVIRONMENT
Team member
Question
Response
Team member
Human Artifacts:
Knowledge repositories
Cognitive maps
Databases; reports...
Group Sensemaking
ENVIRONMENT
Team member
Question
Response
Human Artifacts:
Knowledge repositories
Cognitive maps
Databases; reports...
Team member
Artifacts of Group Sensemaking:
Plans, Responses, Reports ...
Parallel
Phases:
Planning
Creating
Evaluating
Negotiating
Consolidating
Limiting
Factors
SenseMaking Technologies Corporation
HELPING YOU CREATE A BETTER FUTURE TM
Situational
Awareness
Anytime,
Anyplace
Information*
Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction.
Knowledge of specific events or situations
A collection of facts or data.
Communication of knowledge.
Computer Science. Processed, stored, or transmitted data.
*American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Data/Information/Knowledge
Hierarchy
Wisdom
Knowledge
Information
Data
Data/Information/Knowledge
Hierarchy
Wisdom
Knowledge
Information
Data
Group Sensemaking
Information
Filters: Increase capacity to Act?
Boundary Objects
Objects/events
Means to me
Decide to Share
Cognitive
Domain
Boundary Objects
Actions
Physical
Domain
Boundary Object
STIMULUS: Datum
Projected
Affordances:
Received Affordances:
Interpreted Affordances:
Informational value: Yes
Knowledge increased: Yes
(increased capacity to act)
Individual Agent Responses to Stimulus
Boundary Object
STIMULUS: Datum
Projected
Affordances:
Received Affordances:
Interpreted Affordances:
Informational value: Yes
Informational value: No
Knowledge increased: Yes
(increased capacity to act)
Knowledge increased: No
(no increased capacity to act)
Individual Agent Responses to Stimulus
Useless
Information
To Achieve
Effective Team Action:
• Right thinking
• Right team members
• Right time
To Achieve
Right Thinking, By the Right People
At the Right Time
• Construct Boundary Objects.
• Transmit them to right team members.
• Have right team members construct a
judgment that boundary object has
informational value.
• Do this at the right time.
Of Knowledge and Knowing
Knowing (Effective Knowledge):
Constructed Subset of Stored Knowledge Plus Stimulus
Boundary Object:
Stimulus
Knowing
Stored
Knowledge:
Stored capacity to act
Dynamic Nature of Constructing Effective Knowledge:
Group Construction of Shared Meaning
Boundary Object of
other agent
Stimulus 1
Time 1
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Stimulus 1
Dynamic Nature of Constructing Effective Knowledge:
Group Construction of Shared Meaning
Boundary Object of
other agent
Stimulus 1
Time 1
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Stimulus 1
Boundary Object of
other agent
Stimulus 2
Time 2
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Stimulus 2
Dynamic Nature of Constructing Effective Knowledge:
Group Construction of Shared Meaning
Boundary Object of
other agent
Boundary Object of
other agent
Stimulus 1
Time 1
Effective
Knowledge (EN)
Stimulus 1
Stimulus 2
Time 2
Effective
Knowledge (EN)
Stimulus 2
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Stimulus n
Boundary Object of
other agent
Stimulus n
Time n
Constructing Shared Meaning:
Boundary Object
of Agent 1
I share this
Effective Knowledge
(EK)
Agent 1
This means to me
Effective Knowledge
(EK)
Agent 2
Cycle in Dynamic Construction of Shared Meaning
I share this
Boundary Object
of Agent 1
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Agent 1
This means to me
This means to me
Effective
Knowledge (EK)
Agent 2
Boundary Object
of Agent 2
I share this
Typical Sensemaking Conversation
Statement and implicit assumption
Boundary
Object
A 1/T1
Boundary
Object
Fact supporting Statement
in BO A1/T1
A4/T2
Boundary
Object
Story on BO A1/T1
A3/T3
Boundary
Object
A5/T4
Story on
implicit assumption
of BO A1/T1
Boundary
Object
Fact supporting statement
in BO A1/T1
A3/T5
Boundary
Object
A1/T6
Question
regarding
story on
implicit
assumption
Mitigating Working Memory Limitations:
Organizing and Categorizing Boundary Objects
Claim:
Boundary
Object
A 1/T1
Assumption:
Boundary
Object
A1/T1
Story:
Fact:
Boundary
Object
Boundary
Object
A5/T4
A4/T2
Fact:
Boundary
Object
A2/T5
Story:
Boundary
Object
A3/T3
Question:
Boundary
Object
A1/T6
Using Meaning Theories to
Help Construct Shared Meaning
• Osgood’s Theory of Meaning
– Describe the subject
– Judgment, potency, action
• Example: Its very(potency) bad(judgment), and
getting worse
• Kelly’s Cognitive Constructs
– Understand subject sensemaking process
– shortcut, limited meaningful dimensions,
reduce overload
– Valid Team Constructs? Situational?
Constructing Meaning
Boundary Object:
Stimulus
Judgment: Threat
Potency: Serious
Action: Getting worse
Constructing Shared Meaning
Sign
Boundary Object:
Sign
Judgment: Dangerous
Potency: Very
Action: Getting worse
Very
Dangerous
Worsening
Very Dangerous
Worsening
Other
Sending Agent
Receiving Agent
Cases: Receiving Agent:
• has similar expertise to sending agent:
>
Other BO = facts
• has deep experience of the sign
• does not have expertise or does not share sign
>
Other BO = story
• holds implicit trust in sending agent
Push/Post, Pull/Peruse Stimuli
Push Technology: Sending Stimuli
Push: Directed, Precise
Example: instant messaging
Post: Broadcast, Informing
Example: bulletin board
Push/Post, Pull/Peruse Stimuli
Push Technology: Sending Stimuli
Push: Directed, Precise
Example: instant messaging
Post: Broadcast, Informing
Example: bulletin board
Pull Technology: Grabbing Stimuli
Pull: Specific, reaching
Example: keyword filtering
“I must know this”
Peruse: scan
Example: web surfing
“Let’s see what’s out there
Trust and Push Stimuli Technology
No ability to selectively push. Least Trusted Agent Filter
I want to share this
Trust and Push Stimuli Technology
No ability to selectively push. Least Trusted Agent Filter
I want to share this
Selectively
push
Artifact Creation:
Augmenting Sensemaking and Focussing Attention
A1: Version 1
A1: Version 2
Version 1
+
Selected A2 Input
A1: Version 3
Version 2
+
Selected A3 Input
to Version 1
A2: Version 1
+
A2 Input
A3: Version 1
+
A3 Input
A4: Version 2
+
A4 Input
Time
A: Agent 1,2,3 ...stands for Agent 1, 2, 3...
A1: Version 4
Version 3
+
Selected A4 Input
to Version 2
Customized Focussed Attention:
Team Constructs and Sharing Meaning Efficiently
A1: Version 1
A1: Version 2
Version 1
+
Selected A2 Input
A2: Version 1
+
A2 Input
A1: Version 3
Version 2
+
Selected A3 Input
to Version 1
A1: Version 4
Version 3
+
Selected A4 Input
to Version 2
Compare to Version 4
A3: Version 1
+
A3 Input
Compare to V4
A4: Version 2
+
A4 Input
Compare To V4
Time
A: Agent 1,2,3 ...stands for Agent 1, 2, 3...
Collaboration Envelope™
Owner Agent:
How can I push this BO to Agent…?
I need to organize and categorize this BO ...
Boundary Object (BO)
Created by an Agent
Using
Most Effective &
Easiest to Use
Tool
Receiving Agents:
Has this BO changed since I saw it last?
How can I pull this BO to me?
I suggest this alternative BO. ...
Both Owner and Receiving Agents:
How does this BO compare to the last version I saw?
How does a suggested alternative compare to the
original BO?
I need to chunk a part of this BO
Who has seen these changes to this BO?
Do all agents understand this BO? ...
Key Take Aways
• Team sensemaking requires iterations
between the physical (boundary objects)
and cognitive worlds of multiple agents.
• Agents can be human and non-human.
• A Collaboration Envelope™ provides a
notion that there are common actions that
agents need to engage around boundary
objects to support sensemaking among
agents.