Objective meaning fixation: organizational cognitive processes under uncertainty and conflict

Abstract This essay concerns the fixation of objective meaning in high-discretion decisions and actions under uncertainty and conflict. It collects and develops arguments in the literature, to show how this fixation happens. The approach to concept development was a pragmatic and integrative literature review on strategic decision-making. There are two kinds of objective meanings. The general objective meaning of strategic action consists of the mission and systemic objectives set by the organization’s dominant coalition. Under conflict and uncertainty, guided by the general objective meaning, organizational cognitive processes identify and analyze uncertainties, manage conflict, and set the specific objective meaning. Such processes are immanent in the development of and choice among alternatives. These concepts - organizational cognitive processes, necessary social relationships to organization, and specific objective meaning - and their causal articulation are the main contribution of this piece. Organizational pragmatism prevails as well as an interpretation that fixates objective meanings.