Explore/Thinkers/March, James G., and Herbert A. Simon — OrganizationsbookMarch, James G., and Herbert A. Simon — OrganizationsMarch, James G., and Herbert A. Simon. *Organizations*. New York: Wiley, 1958.Previous← Lisa Feldman Barrett — How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the BrainNextMark C Suchman — Managing Legitimacy. →Related conceptsConceptMeaningtransmitted coordination signalConceptCoordinationcollective behavioral organizationConceptFrictionresistance that interrupts automatic escalationConceptInterpretationlocalized reconstruction of meaningRelated patternsPatternGaps Invite CompletionAn exchange contains ambiguity, omitted detail, or unresolved tension. Open meaning is hard to sustain under practical or emotional pressure. - Uncertainty creates interpretive discomfort - Fast social coordination rewards quick closure - Memory and expectation supply plausible filler Missing meaning rarely stays open for long. Because gaps invite completion, the mind usually supplies missing meaning before the speaker does.PatternMeaning Drifts Over TimePeople revisit events after additional conversations, outcomes, and memory updates. Interpretation is treated as fixed even though context keeps changing. - Memory gets rebuilt over time, not replayed exactly - Repetition favors convenient summaries - New context changes what earlier events seem to mean Interpretation slowly changes as memory, context, and repetition accumulate. Meaning drifts over time and rarely stays where it first landed.PatternMeaning Forms EarlyUnder pressure, listeners settle a working story before language is complete; later detail is read through an already-forming frame.PatternMeaning Reinforces ItselfA group repeats interactions through an existing interpretive frame. The frame no longer feels provisional. - Selective attention confirms prior meaning - Repetition normalizes prior conclusions - Social alignment penalizes interpretive differences Once established, interpretation begins shaping future interpretation. Meaning reinforces itself when what we conclude once becomes what we are prepared to see again.PatternMeaning Shifts Under PressureCommunication occurs under conflict, urgency, authority, or high stakes. The need for rapid action competes with staying close to what was actually meant. - Time pressure rewards certainty - Power asymmetry increases defensive reading - Consequence anticipation narrows options Urgency, conflict, and consequence accelerate interpretation. Pressure shrinks the distance between what people notice and what they treat as settled.Related booksBookHow Meaning MovesSignal, Compression, Restraint, and the Pace of UnderstandingA concise tour of how meaning travels through language, systems, and relationships, and why restraint is often the difference between noise and connection.
