Sensemaking, Organizing, and Surpassing: A Handoff*

In this essay, I reflect on the intellectual influences that led to the genesis of the Social Psychology of Organizing and assess the way forward. I stress that the Social Psychology aspired to provide an outline of an organizational epistemology. I particularly focus on the interplay between experience and understanding, highlighting the following features: self‐validating prophecy, partiality toward similarity, ambivalence between belief and doubt, and understanding as ongoing accomplishment. I conclude with a discussion of the three papers published in this Special issue.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163428/2/joms12617_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163428/1/joms12617.pd